THE CONCEPT OF COMMUNITY POLICING Introduction: Many police forces throughout the world claim to practice community policing but often the concept is misunderstood and misapplied. It is not untypical for community policing to be perceived as a single model or technical specification that can somehow be transplanted into any policing environment regardless of organisational or cultural context. Rather, community policing is a philosophy and value system against which policing objectives and performance are measured. Therefore local models will vary and evolve according to the differing needs of differing communities, whilst retaining and sharing the same set of core values. Rationale for Community Policing: The reasons for adopting the more proactive approach inherent in community policing are both philosophical and pragmatic. At the philosophic level, any police organisation that seeks to serve democratic and humanitarian ideals must be (and be seen to be) open, fair, apolitical, accountable and responsive to public perceptions and expectations. Such policing is characterised by the notion of “police service” rather than “police force”, where the most significant benchmarks of performance are public satisfaction, trust and confidence. At the pragmatic level, there exists a wealth of evidence to confirm that the traditional approach to policing, which tends to be reactive and exclusively law-enforcement based, is ultimately not effective in preventing crime and anti-social behavior within society. Further, a predominantly reactive policing style encourages an alienating police culture, whereby the police and public develop a ‘them and us’ mentality towards one another. The inevitable outcome is that the police image suffers, public confidence declines, and citizens withdraw their voluntary support and cooperation. Finance provides another pragmatic and compelling reason to pursue a community policing style. Citizens and their elected representatives are entitled to ask how public funds are being spent and to demand value for money. In competing for their share of limited public funds, public sector organisations should be able to prove that they have spent their budget wisely and that resources have been targeted effectively towards social priorities. If the police can demonstrate they are both operationally and cost effective in achieving results, as evidenced in service quality and public satisfaction, they gain a significant edge in the bidding for future finance and resources. Characteristics of Community Policing: Effective community policing will evidence the following key principles: 1. POLICING IS VISIBLE AND ACCESSIBLE · Selected patrol officers are assigned permanently to small areas or zones (usually called ‘beats’) with delegated responsibility for policing that area · High visibility patrols are conducted, ordinarily on foot, to interact with the public, gain the confidence and cooperation of citizens, and develop local knowledge · The aim of patrol activity is to be preventative and provide public reassurance · Patrolling must therefore be directed and focused on clear objectives, not aimless and undirected · The demeanor of patrol officers is such that citizens will feel able to seek police assistance 2. POLICING INVOLVES COMMUNITY CONSULTATION, COOPERATION AND INTERDEPENDENCY · The police participate with the public at large in identifying and prioritising community needs · The police and community work in partnership to devise and implement agreed solutions to problems · The community actively engage in the policing role through volunteer schemes, initiating neighborhood support networks and augmenting police patrol activities 3. POLICING INVOLVES MULTI-AGENCY COLLABORATION · The police recognise that no statutory (or voluntary) body can make a meaningful impact on social problems if it acts in isolation of others · The police liaise and work together with other statutory agencies and voluntary organisations in addressing crime and other disturbances to public tranquility 4. POLICING IS ESSENTIALLY PROACTIVE · The underlying causes of crime, incidents and public complaints are analysed and identified · Rather than simply reacting to the incidence of crime, anti-social behavior and other sources of public complaint, the police adopt a systematic and integrated problem-solving approach with a view to reducing and preventing the such incidents · Perception and actuality are treated with equal seriousness (e.g. the ‘fear of crime’; public perception of police integrity and competence) · All police personnel and departments are involved in the problem-solving process, contributing ideas and designing initiatives for more effective policing 5. POLICING IS ACCOUNTABLE · Police managers are open and accountable about policies, strategies, operations and decisions affecting the community · All police personnel are accountable for their professional and personal standards and for their treatment of citizens · Policing effectiveness is monitored, evaluated and open to scrutiny · Citizens with a grievance against the police have a means of redress 6. POLICING IS ABOUT PROVIDING QUALITY OF SERVICE · Standards of service delivery are measured · Testing objectives are set for operational performance and public satisfaction · The police develop a culture of service excellence Common Misconceptions about Community Policing:
“Community policing is ‘soft’ policing”: This view presumes that because community policing demands better communication and understanding between police and public, it encourages more liberal and tolerant attitudes towards criminal offending. Actually the opposite is true: proactive policing is more effective both in preventing offending and in achieving offender detection and remedial action post offense. “Community policing is only for uniform patrols or a specific community policing unit”: In fact the potential rewards of community policing cannot be fully realised unless there is a shared understanding of and commitment towards that approach throughout the whole police organisation. Community policing requires the integrated involvement of all departments and functions, with their combined efforts and expertise being focused on community based action plans addressing local priorities. The gathering and sharing of intelligence and data is a crucial aspect of this collaboration, particularly in the targeting of offenders. “Community policing replaces all other policing styles and methods”: Community policing does not replace but harnesses core policing functions such as traffic enforcement, crime investigation and public order management. These core responsibilities remain essential and are entirely compatible and complementary if they meet the performance standards and criteria demanded by community policing. Conclusion: Community policing is founded on the principle that in a democratic society, the police are entrusted by their fellow citizens to protect and serve the public’s fundamental rights to liberty, equality and justice under the law. To fulfill that privileged role the police must be a part of, and not apart from, the community they serve. Community Policing Principles and Values
Community Policing is a philosophy to guide police management styles, policies, strategies and operational performance. Key principles are that community policing… - Relies upon active partnership between the police and the community
- Ensures the police view their primary role as the provision of quality service to the community
- Entails that the police adopt a problem solving approach to their work
- Requires that the Police involve the community in deciding policing priorities
Community policing therefore embraces the following values: - Respect for and protection of human rights
- Transparency and openness in relation to activities and relationships within and outside the police organisation
- Demonstrable commitment at all times to deliver the best possible service
- Empowerment of all police personnel to make appropriate decisions and thereby facilitate a speedy delivery of quality service
- Willingness to seek for, listen to and act upon public opinion relating to policing priorities
- Accountability, where the police are properly answerable for what they do, and citizens with a genuine sense of grievance against the police have an effective means of redress
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