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Crime Solvability Factors

Police Resources and Crime Detection

  • Provides research-based approach for determining crime solvability

  • Explores new ways for managing limited police resources

  • Presents overview of existing studies and directions for future research

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Table of contents (19 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-vii
  2. Introduction

    • Richard Timothy Coupe, Barak Ariel, Katrin Mueller-Johnson
    Pages 1-14
  3. Existing Research on Solvability

    • Tom Olphin, Richard Timothy Coupe
    Pages 15-34
  4. Population-Level Analysis of Residential Burglaries

    • Colin Paine, Barak Ariel
    Pages 53-74
  5. Pickpocketing on Railways

    • Stephanie Sharp, Richard Timothy Coupe
    Pages 89-106
  6. Metal Theft Solvability and Detection

    • Paul Robb, Richard Timothy Coupe, Barak Ariel
    Pages 107-126
  7. Detecting and Combating Internet Telephony Fraud

    • Colin Duffy, Richard Timothy Coupe
    Pages 127-148
  8. Targeting Factors that Predict Clearance of Non-domestic Assaults

    • Tom Olphin, Katrin Mueller-Johnson
    Pages 149-174
  9. Reporting, Detection and Solvability of Sex Offences on Railways

    • Anthony Jones, Richard Timothy Coupe, Katrin Mueller-Johnson
    Pages 225-256
  10. Offender–Offence Profiling: Improving Burglary Solvability and Detection

    • Bronwyn Killmier, Katrin Mueller-Johnson, Richard Timothy Coupe
    Pages 257-285
  11. Homicide Resources, Solvability and Detection

    • Rebecca Riggs, Richard Timothy Coupe, Denis O’Connor
    Pages 331-365
  12. Resources, Solvability and Detection: A Theoretical Model

    • Richard Timothy Coupe
    Pages 411-431
  13. Conclusions

    • Richard Timothy Coupe, Barak Ariel
    Pages 433-450

About this book

At a time when resources are scarce, not every crime may be investigated as fully as is desirable. Police generally use experience to guide their case screening. This volume demonstrates a new, research-based approach, exploring innovative research on crime solvability as a factor for crime investigation and prevention.

Crime solvability is the interplay between forensic science, decision-making, and prediction to determine the likelihood that a crime will be solved. This text discusses recent studies of how solvable cases may be identified, using original sets of police data. It focuses on high-volume crimes such as burglary, assault, metal theft, and cyberfraud. By targeting more cases that can be solved, police departments can manage their resources better and have the greatest effect on arrests, as well as preventing future crimes by these offenders.

Topics covered include:

  • Research into the effects of crime solvability and detection outcomes.
  • Studies ranging from less severe, high-volume crimes to severe offences.
  • Effects of resources on investigating and detecting crime.
  • Theoretical resourcing-solvability model of crime detection.
  • Detection complements preventive approaches in containing criminal activity.
  • Chapters on incident solvability and measured use of resources in different investigative stages.
  • Predictive approaches for improving crime solvability.
  • Property, violent, and sexual offenses.

Crime Solvability Factors: Police Resources and Crime Detection will be of interest to researchers in criminology and criminal justice, particularly with an interest in quantitative and experimental research and police studies. It will also be of interest to policymakers and police organizations.

Editors and Affiliations

  • Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Richard Timothy Coupe, Barak Ariel, Katrin Mueller-Johnson

About the editors

Timothy Coupe researches and lectures criminal justice management, crime investigation and detection in the Institute of Criminology at Cambridge University. He previously worked in operational research, computing science, business management and urban and regional planning. He has been involved in applied research into improving policing performance for the U.K. Home Office and with police services in the U.K., Sweden, Denmark and Australia. He has consultancy experience in a variety of public organisations and commercial companies on the cost-effective use of resources and improving efficiency. He is an advocate of the benefits of using scientific analysis and prediction to complement professional experience for improving the way organisations are managed.

Barak Ariel is a lecturer in the Police Executive Programme. Among other topics, Barak provides seminars on research methods, systematic reviews and statistical analyses. As the chief analyst of the Jerry Lee Centre of Experimental Criminology, Barak is involved in several field experiments on police tactics in partnership with forces in the UK and abroad, including hotspot policing, restorative justice, use of cameras in police operations, informal crime control, and tax compliance. Barak is working in collaboration with Professor Lawrence Sherman and Dr. Heather Strang on Restorative Justice Trials, as well as in collaboration with Professor David Farrington on blocked randomised experiments. Barak is also working on a series of systematic reviews for the Campbell Collaboration, as well as other methodological issues related to experiments in Criminology.

Katrin Mueller-Johnson is a Senior Lecturer in Applied Criminology at the Institute of Criminology at the University of Cambridge.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Crime Solvability Factors

  • Book Subtitle: Police Resources and Crime Detection

  • Editors: Richard Timothy Coupe, Barak Ariel, Katrin Mueller-Johnson

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17160-5

  • Publisher: Springer Cham

  • eBook Packages: Law and Criminology, Law and Criminology (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-17159-9Published: 11 September 2019

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-17162-9Published: 11 September 2020

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-17160-5Published: 30 August 2019

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: VII, 454

  • Number of Illustrations: 120 b/w illustrations, 14 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Criminology and Criminal Justice, general, Social Policy

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 139.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access