NCJ Number
160903
Date Published
1995
Length
148 pages
Annotation
This report presents findings and recommendations from a 1989 study of civil actions against the police in Great Britain.
Abstract
Fifty-two police forces in the United Kingdom and a number of police departments in the United States and Canada were contacted and visited in an effort to establish in practical and statistical terms the extent and nature of the problem as it existed in their policing area and the steps being taken to control the problem. A more detailed examination of issues related to civil action against the police focused on a number of forces in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. The study quantified the problems, with attention to the development of civil claims between 1985 and 1994. It developed a database to assist in analyzing the problem and allowing accurate forecasting, as well as identified high-risk policing activities likely to result in civil litigation, substantial damages, and bad publicity. Further, the study identified good practices that will assist in the control and ultimate documentation of the problem. Some recommendations are intended to improve the method of recording and investigating civil actions. Other recommendations aim to stem the increase in civil claims and encourage a more standardized approach to what has become a major challenge. Appended questionnaire, tables, figures, a 15-item bibliography, and a table of cases