Crime in profile

by Nicole Findlay

Through his work in his Police Research Lab, Craig Bennell is gathering mounting evidence that criminal profiling doesn’t work.

Bennell, a forensic psychologist in the Department of Psychology has been researching the controversial techniques used by police forces to identify criminals based on their crime scene behaviours or the geographic location of their criminal incidents.

“Criminal profiling is an investigative procedure whereby predictions are made about the personality, behaviours or demographic characteristics of an unknown offender based on the way he has committed his crimes,” explained Bennell.

He has discovered that the very assumptions upon which profiling is predicated are unfounded.  Criminals are not necessarily consistent in the way they commit their crimes, nor can their backgrounds be predicted based on their crime scene behaviours. Criminals who commit similar acts also don’t always share similar backgrounds. Yet, criminal profiling assumes that they do.

“This has led us to conclude that criminal profiling is not a valid technique,” said Bennell. “If the empirical research suggests that profiling doesn’t work, why do police agencies continue to use the technique?”

This is a question he has been working with police forces to answer.

Bennell also collaborates with the Ontario Police College.  This research examines the factors that influence the split-second decisions police make in high pressure situations, such as lethal force encounters.  Police may be affected by a suspect’s race, gender or age, and take or abstain from violent action based on these characteristics.

“Our research on the influence of racial stereotypes on shoot/don’t shoot decisions may uncover important issues that need to be considered in firearms training,” said Bennell.

Improved police training can ultimately ensure greater safety both for the officers involved, and the public at large.