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History · Crime, punishment and law enforcement in recent times

New Crimes and Modern Policing

Car crime, cyber crime, terrorism and people trafficking - how new technology created new crimes, and how the police changed to fight them.

  • c1900-present
  • 7 key terms
  • All boards
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Learning Objectives

  1. 1Describe new crimes of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, including car crime, cyber crime and terrorism.
  2. 2Explain how new technology created new opportunities for crime.
  3. 3Explain how policing changed to deal with new crimes.

Setting the Scene

Many crimes of recent times are old crimes in new forms. Theft is now carried out online; smuggling now involves drugs and people. But some crimes are entirely new, because the technology that makes them possible did not exist before.

  1. 1903 The Motor Car Act introduces speed limits and car registration.
  2. 1934 The driving test becomes compulsory.
  3. 1971 The Misuse of Drugs Act sets out classes of illegal drugs.
  4. 1990 The Computer Misuse Act makes hacking a crime.
  5. 2000 The Terrorism Act gives police new powers.
  6. 2015 The Modern Slavery Act targets people trafficking.

New Crimes of Recent Times

Old crimes in new forms, and crimes that could not exist before.

  • Car crime

    Speeding, drink driving, dangerous driving and car theft, all made possible by the motor car.

  • Cyber crime

    Hacking, online fraud and identity theft, made possible by computers and the internet.

  • Terrorism

    Violence for political aims; new laws such as the Terrorism Act (2000) respond to new threats.

  • People trafficking

    Smuggling people into the country and forcing them to work - a modern form of slavery.

  • Drug crime

    Possession and supply of illegal drugs, controlled by the Misuse of Drugs Act of 1971.

  • Fraud

    Old crime, new methods: scams by email, phone and online banking.

Old Crimes in New Forms

Many "new" crimes are old crimes using new technology.

  • Theft to cyber theft

    Stealing money used to mean taking cash or goods; now it can mean stealing bank details online.

  • Smuggling

    Once mainly goods such as alcohol and tobacco; now drugs, weapons and people.

  • Fraud

    Swindling people has always existed, but the internet lets criminals reach millions of victims at once.

  • Why

    Technology creates new opportunities for crime faster than the law can respond.

How Policing Changed

The police adapted by using new technology themselves.

  • Fingerprinting

    When: 1901. How it helped: Scotland Yard's Fingerprint Bureau could identify criminals from marks left at a crime scene

  • 999 emergency calls

    When: 1937. How it helped: The public could contact the police quickly

  • Police cars and radios

    When: From the 1920s-30s. How it helped: Officers could respond quickly and stay in contact

  • Neighbourhood Watch

    When: 1982. How it helped: Communities helped police watch for crime

  • DNA profiling

    When: From the late 1980s. How it helped: Identified criminals from tiny traces of blood, hair or skin

  • CCTV

    When: 1990s onwards. How it helped: Cameras recorded crimes and suspects in public places

Specialist Policing

Modern policing is more specialised than ever.

  • Specialist units

    Units such as fraud squads, cyber crime units and counter-terrorism command deal with particular crimes.

  • DNA database

    The National DNA Database was set up in 1995 to store profiles of suspects.

  • Community policing

    Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), introduced in 2002, work with local communities.

  • International cooperation

    Organisations such as Interpol help police work across borders on crimes like trafficking.

Summary & Exam Focus

  • New technology created new crimes, such as car crime and cyber crime.
  • Many new crimes are old crimes in new forms, like online fraud.
  • Police adapted with fingerprints, 999, radios, DNA and CCTV.
  • Modern policing relies on specialist units and community help.

Exam focus

Explain why there have been changes in law enforcement in the period c1900-present. (12 marks) (12 marks)

Link each change in policing to the problem or technology that caused it.

Key terms

The vocabulary this lesson expects you to use. Each one is linked from the first place it appears above.

Cyber crime
Crime committed using computers or the internet.
Terrorism
The use of violence or threats for political aims.
People trafficking
Moving people illegally, often forcing them to work.
DNA profiling
Identifying people from their genetic code.
CCTV
Closed-circuit television cameras used to monitor public places.
Neighbourhood Watch
A scheme in which local people help police watch for crime.
PCSO
Police Community Support Officer, introduced in 2002.

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