From doorstep to dashboard: how neighbourhood police officers use technology
A chat on the street, an alert on a phone, information in a database: neighbourhood police work is becoming increasingly digital. For his PhD research, Jasper De Paepe explored how officers respond to this shift. His findings show that personal contact remains important.
Your thesis is called From doorstep to dashboard. Are neighbourhood police officers disappearing behind their screens?
‘Traditionally, neighbourhood police officers spent most of their time out in the community: in community centres, on the street or having a coffee in someone’s home. In academic literature and political debate, there is a perception that policing is becoming increasingly digital. The suggestion is that neighbourhood police officers consequently spend more time entering information on a computer and become more distant from residents.
‘My research shows that this is not always the case. Neighbourhood police officers make their own choices and have the freedom to do so: how does technology help me, and to what extent do I want to use it? These considerations are central to my research.’
What does a typical working day look like? When does technology come into play?
‘The day usually starts at a computer, checking emails and tasks. There is often a morning briefing covering the previous shift and anything colleagues need to know. Neighbourhood police officers use the police database to look up what has been happening in their area. They are also expected to add information themselves.
‘Out on the street, they can use their phones to look up and record information. This means they do not have to keep returning to the office. They use social media to stay in touch with residents. My research focuses mainly on these everyday information and communication technologies.’
Do all neighbourhood police officers use these tools in the same way?
‘No. Their work always revolves around gathering information and maintaining contact, but they go about it in different ways. Some officers know their neighbourhoods extremely well and keep a lot of information in their heads or in a notebook. Others spend a great deal of time using digital systems and social media. Neighbourhood police officers have considerable autonomy. Their choices are shaped by their understanding of what makes a good neighbourhood police officer and what their neighbourhood needs. This remains their own assessment, which does not necessarily reflect the neighbourhood’s actual needs. With limited time and resources, they have to make choices.’
Why do some neighbourhood police officers not record all their information in the police database?
‘This is sometimes put down to laziness, but I found committed officers who were deliberately cautious. They worry that colleagues might misinterpret information without its original context.
‘One officer, for example, had developed his own digital system. He entered information into the police database but kept certain details separately in Excel or Word. Think of a resident mentioning that different expensive sports cars are regularly parked outside the house opposite. By keeping certain information separate, he wanted to prevent others from misinterpreting or misusing it. He had seen information provided by a local resident used in a deradicalisation campaign targeting that same resident. This caused a serious breakdown of trust between the resident and the officer, and also damaged trust across the wider neighbourhood. Experiences like these influence officers’ decisions about what to enter into the system.’
What was it like to shadow neighbourhood police officers?
‘The home visits particularly stayed with me. We visited someone who had reported a problem with noise but was mainly interested in winning us over to his faith. We talked about his faith and how he was feeling. Gradually, he told us more about his neighbourhood. People often tell neighbourhood police officers things that go well beyond the original reason for their visit.
The home visits particularly stayed with me
‘Shadowing the officers gave me a real appreciation of neighbourhood policing. Initially, I thought accompanying emergency response officers would be more exciting. But neighbourhood police officers have meaningful conversations and see people and neighbourhoods change. Sometimes it takes longer for them to see the effects of their work, but they make a significant difference.’
Did you notice major differences between Belgium and the Netherlands?
‘My research was a joint project between Ghent University and Leiden University. Initially, I wanted to explore the influence of the national, social and cultural context. While shadowing officers, however, I was mainly struck by the similarities: their work, the expectations placed on them and the digital tools they used were comparable.
‘One difference is that Belgian officers carry out residence checks: when someone moves house, a neighbourhood police officer checks whether they live at the address they have provided. This is an administrative task, but also an opportunity to get to know people, much like meeting someone on the street or in a community centre in the Netherlands.
‘The Dutch police also experiment more often with new tools. Belgian police forces look at which of these they could adopt.’
What should police leaders and policymakers do with your findings?
‘Give neighbourhood police officers opportunities to share their experiences, including with colleagues outside their own teams. Autonomy remains important, but at the moment a great deal depends on the individual officer. Regularly discuss questions such as: how do you approach this, what works and what can we learn from one another?
‘It can take years for an officer to get to know a neighbourhood well. If that knowledge remains with one person, it can disappear when they leave. So make sure there is a personal handover: let the incoming officer spend some time walking around the neighbourhood with the outgoing officer. This gives the information in the system more meaning.
‘Technology can help people share knowledge, but there must still be room for personal contact and officers’ professional judgement.’