Browsing by Author "Yesufu, Shaka."

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The development of policing in Britain in the next five years.
(2013-03) Yesufu, Shaka.
The British police service is currently going through a radical transformation phase. The present Tory-led coalition government has set out an agenda to bring about drastic changes in policing. These proposed changes are unprecedented in the history of policing since 1829. The police service is governed by a tripartite arrangement of checks and balances laid down under the Police Act 1964. By this I mean that there are three key players in relation to police governance in Britain: the Home Secretary, the local police authority and the chief constable. The future of policing in the next five years is set out clearly by the Home Secretary, Theresa May MP, under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill, which is currently being reviewed in the House of Lords. The recent phone hacking scandal has made it imperative for the British public to have a closer look at the police service in relation to proper accountability. There have been references to police corruption as far back as the era of 'parish constables', dating back to 1800, when it was alleged that police officers took bribes, got drunk whilst on duty and lacked moral credibility to protect and serve us (Critchley, 1978). In the seventies and eighties the British public was informed of another scandal involving members of Scotland Yard and criminal gangs in the East End of London. In this article, I shall argue that the issue of police corruption is not a new phenomenon. It is has been an ongoing issue that has haunted the police for over a century. This article is divided into three parts. In the first part of the article I present the following issues: the Metropolitan Police policing plan 2011-2014; the merits and demerits of the policing plan; tripartite police accountability and its shortcomings; democratic accountability and localisation of policing; the professionalisation of policing and the creation of the Police Body; review of police pay and benefits; and the impact of this on police officers' morale. In the second part of my article I present some of the criticisms levelled against the ongoing police reforms. I will look at the criticisms from both internal and external perspectives. By internal criticism, I mean police officers' opposition to the reforms. By external criticism, I mean criticisms from criminologists and members of the British public. In the third part of my article I made my position clear on where I stand in relation to the ongoing police reforms. I shall argue that the current ongoing job cuts in the police service are a disaster waiting to happen, and that our safety has been compromised by politicians. We are now living at the mercy of criminals and law breakers due to manpower shortage. We are all living witnesses to the ongoing public disturbances in Tottenham, Enfield, Brixton, Peckham, Walthamstow and Croydon, in London. The speed of the spread of these riots to other cities like Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool occurred on an unimaginable scale. We all watched how difficult it was for the police to restore order and normality. Rioters looted and plundered goods and burnt down buildings as if no laws existed in our country. A complete breakdown of law and order put the lives of citizens at risk. My article makes a passionate appeal to the present coalition government to rethink the issue of reducing the numbers of police officers protecting us. I shall argue that we need more police officers in Britain not fewer. The level of anger and social discontent is higher than the government ever anticipated, partly because of economic hardship. My argument is that economic hardship is not an excuse to commit burglary, theft, arson, murder and criminal damage with intent to endanger life. Rioters are shameless opportunists, a bunch of hoodlums, criminals who have no place in any civilised society, who should be made to face the due process of law.
Discriminatory use of police stop-and search powers in London, UK.
(Vathek Publishing., 2013) Yesufu, Shaka.; ;
Black Londoners have complained over the years of being overpoliced and harassed by police officers. The history of such contentious encounters between members of the Black community and the police service dates back to the 1970s, an era that was characterised by the implementation of the ‘Suspicion Laws’, popularly referred to as the ‘Sus Laws’, which emanated from the legislation of the Vagrancy Act of 1824. It was an era most Black people would prefer not to talk about because of the oppressive encounters they experienced with the police. This paper has three purposes: first, to highlight the history of police abuses of power in relation to dealing with Black Londoners in a discriminatory way; second, to explore the issue of societal racism, facilitated by the trio of concepts of prejudice, stereotyping and racial discrimination; third, to encourage the debate on police accountability by discouraging the discriminatory policing that permeates UK society.
The impact of labelling theory on the Gypsies and Travelers in the United Kingdom.
(All Africa Criminal Justice Association, 2014-06-10) Yesufu, Shaka.
The persecution of Gypsies and Travelers in the United Kingdom is not a new phenomenon. It goes back many centuries when Gypsies first set foot on the European continent. It was estimated that over half a million Gypsies were exterminated by Adolf Hitler in Germany during the Holocaust. In today‟s France under President Francois Hollande, the Gypsies are still being persecuted. The effects of labeling theory has made the Gypsies undoubtedly and unarguably among the most hated groups living in Europe today. They have endured societal rejection, hatred, discrimination, cruelty and inhumane treatment, and denial of the basic necessities of life, for example housing, education and healthcare. Their ability to endure hardship (stoicism) and a total rejection (alienation) from the wider society over the years is inspiring to us in academia. This article is a clarion call to all men and women of good conscience all over the world to come together to consign the persecution of Gypsies to history.
Police corruption: a threat to South Africa's democracy.
(All Africa Criminal Justice Association, 2014) Yesufu, Shaka.
In South Africa today, there is no single agreed definition of corruption. However, as researchers we do know that some definitions of corruption are available, enabling us to put police c orruption into context. It is disappointing enough to find out that po lice officers who have been entrusted by the laws of the Republic of South Africa to protect and serve us are the same people who are now being investigated for corruption. The image of the South African police has been severely damaged due to the reportin g of rampant and reckless corruption amo ngst its rank and file. The researcher argues that if nothing is done to address the level of police institutionalised corru ption our democracy may suffer as a consequence. First, this article is very important to a ll South African citizens as Policing affects their everyday life. With crime like rape, murder, house breaking, assault, drugs on the increase. South Africans are very much concerned about their safety and security. Second, it is designed to give a voi ce to citizens of South Africa ensuring that the responsibility of policing is left in hands of trustworthy and accountable officials. Third, to identify different types of corruption and to find some solutions to it. Fourth, the research is designed to provi de a basis for other researchers into police corruption to develop and buil d upon it . The researcher relies on extensive literature review, media reports, and police practical experiences and the researcher‟s role and involvement being a member of the Civ ilian Oversight Committee dealing with issues around police accountability in South Africa.