Elizabeth Aston

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Professor at Edinburgh Napier University

Background Drug checking services (DCS) provide harm reduction support and advice to individuals based on chemical analysis of submitted substances of concern. Whilst there are currently no DCS in Scotland, community-based services are being planned in three cities. Methods In this paper, we report qualitative findings based on interviews with 43...

Drug checking services (DCS) enable individuals to voluntarily submit a small amount of a substance for analysis, providing information about the content of the substance along with tailored harm reduction support and advice. There is some evidence suggesting that DCS may lead to behaviour and system change, with impacts for people who use drugs, s...

This chapter draws together the threads from across the book to argue that while the legal, social, political and historical context of policing and systems of governance and reforms to policing are important, ultimately reforms and governance systems carried out in silo do not tend to solve problems in the actual practice of police stops, and a ho...

In this chapter, we consider some key aspects of data, transparency and accountability of police stops. What practices exist across Europe in relation to the recording of police stops and public availability of data? We explore what is meant by data quality and why it is important in the governance of police stops. We consider various potential int...

Technology is playing an increasingly important role in policing and the governance of policing. Already at the end of the twentieth century, digitalisation was seen as a tool to enhance transparency and accountability in a cost-efficient way. Police stops imply police officers on the move and, therefore, mobile technologies may be involved in gove...

This chapter introduces the question of governance, as it relates to police officers’ use of their powers to stop members of the public, and mechanisms to ensure these practices are open to challenge, transparent and accountable. We highlight key definitional issues and gaps in the literature and outline the various legal frameworks at play across...

Background Scotland currently has the highest rates of drug-related deaths in Europe, so drug checking services are being explored due to their potential role in reducing these deaths and related harms. Drug checking services allow individuals to submit presumed psychoactive drug samples for analysis, and then receive individualised feedback and co...

Despite its popularity as a policing method and evidence of its positive affect on communities, community policing has defied attempts to establish a clear definition and replicable form. Often regarded as an Anglo-American policing method in origin, community policing is now found across the world and is growing in influence. The need for differen...

Background Scotland has one of the highest rates of drug-related deaths (DRDs) per capita in Europe, the majority of which involve opioids. Naloxone is a medication used to reverse opioid-related overdoses. In efforts to tackle escalating DRDs in many countries, naloxone is increasingly being provided to people who are likely first responders in ov...

In recent years, police forces in the United Kingdom have introduced various technologies that alter the methods by which they interact with the public. In a parallel development, many forces have also begun to embrace the concept of procedural justice as a method through which to secure legitimacy and (in turn) public compliance and cooperation. W...

Background The impact of policing practices on the engagement of people who use drugs (PWUD) with harm reduction services is well evidenced. Although the police have traditionally taken an enforcement role in responding to drug use, it is increasingly clear that they can play an important part in multiagency delivery of harm reduction interventions...

With rising numbers of drug-related deaths in the UK and globally, exploration of interventions that seek to reduce drug-related harm is essential. Drug checking services (DCS) allow people to submit drug samples for chemical analysis and receive feedback about the sample, as well as harm reduction advice. The use of DCS is often linked to festival...

This report describes the independent findings of an evaluation of a Police Scotland test of change (pilot) of the carriage and administration of naloxone as an emergency first aid measure to persons suspected of experiencing an opioid overdose. The pilot was conducted between March and October 2021 in three test areas in Scotland: Falkirk, Dundee...

Through a consideration of the use of mobile devices by the police and the public, this chapter explores some of the potential issues raised by the incorporation of technology. What internal challenges should be considered for police organisations? What impact may the expansion of technologically mediated interactions have on public perceptions of...

The literature on the importance of procedural justice in policing is extensive. Using the context of information sharing in community policing, this paper argues that interactional, procedural and distributive justice are salient in interactions between the police and the public, both online and face-to-face. Structured interviews ( n = 161) were...

Assessing vulnerability is an international priority area across law enforcement and public health (LEPH). Most contacts with frontline law enforcement professions now relate to ‘vulnerability’; frontline health responders are experiencing a similar increase in these calls. To the authors’ best knowledge there are no published, peer-reviewed tools...

Compared to other areas in the United Kingdom, stop and search in Scotland was on a disproportionately large scale prior to 2015 and overwhelmingly targeted children and young people. Scottish police officers conducted more non-statutory searches than statutory, putting into question the legitimacy of this tactic. In response to external pressures,...

Introduction Law enforcement professions now assume more responsibility for tackling mental health issues alongside public health colleagues than ever before. The term ‘vulnerability’ is frequently used within Law Enforcement and Public Health (LEPH) to identify those requiring emergency mental health care. However, there are ongoing challenges wit...

In recent years, the scale, impact and legality of stop and search in Scotland has been subject to intense critical scrutiny, leading to major legal and policy reform in 2016. Based on these events, including an early unsuccessful attempt by Police Scotland to reform the tactic (the 'Fife Pilot'), this article presents original theoretical and empi...

Background: Historically, police departments focused solely on criminal justice issues. Recently, there has been a dynamic shift in focus, with Law Enforcement professional groups assuming more responsibility for tackling mental health and distress-related issues (that may arise because of mental health related problems and learning disabilities)...

Changing stop and search in Scotland Compared to other areas in the UK, stop and search in Scotland was on a disproportionately large scale prior to 2015 and targeted children and young people. Scottish police officers conducted more non-statutory searches than statutory, putting into question the legitimacy of this tactic. In response to external...

This paper explores whether at different stages of the developmental cycle of adolescence, drug use and offending are associated with a similar set of risk factors relating to: socio-structural position, informal social control, deviant peer group contexts, and deviant lifestyle behaviours.Methods Multivariate regression was used to analyse data fr...

Drug use and offending by young people are often assumed to be closely, or even causally related. However, a review of the literature shows that the relationship is complex and dynamic. This thesis aims to describe and explain how drug use and offending are linked over the teenage years. There is a lack of UK based longitudinal research on the topi...