Abstract
Ever since the emergence of organized society, people have found it necessary to protect themselves and the things they value from others. Danger to an individual’s way of life came from criminal elements and those who worked to disrupt the public order. Because of this, community policing has been around for centuries; however, in the 1980s, community involvement in policing began as an experiment by police departments to help combat crime (Miller).
Community policing serves as a method of interacting with the community, allowing law enforcement and the population to stay protected. Specifically, it is a holistic solution to the problem of criminal activity and a connecting mechanism between structures of power and their subject. Community policing rests on two core pillars: adopting policing practices involving communities in making decisions about their security and establishing a long-term partnership between communities and the police.
Introduction
Community policing is the collaboration between the police and the public in identifying and solving community issues and problems. It is an approach that acknowledges the independent and shared responsibility of the police and the community to ensure the safety and security of civilians. This method is widely adopted in modern society, where law enforcement systems recognize the importance of population agency and an open conversation. Different factors and issues affecting society have led police departments to continue with community policy projects in different areas. The increased crime rates, conflicts between police and the public, and the need for both parties to work together have ensured the continued relevance of community policing in society today.
Evolution of Traditional Policing Methods
The work of the police force involves combating crime, directly and indirectly. In recent years, the crime rates have steadily decreased for various reasons (“World crime rate & statistics 2012-2022,” n.d.). The continuous effort of policing communities, punishing and rehabilitating criminals worked to make the lives of the population safer, and streamlined the process of policing (Tonry, 2014). However, many issues remained. Specifically, the police could not understand the people they were protecting. A noticeable disconnect between the law enforcement contributed to tensions, and called for the introduction of newer policing methods (Cunningham, 2020).
Traditional methods of community policing are effective in punishing crime, but fail to make the police an organic part of local communities. Preventing and curbing crimes such as mass shootings, terrorism, insurgency, armed robbery, and commercial hostage taking has been the primary factor in continued community policing in countries such as the US (Aniche, 2018). The police turn increased attention to areas with higher crime rates, because they present a larger danger to communities and their people. To get better access to established information networks and combat crime, improve the population’s living conditions, and safeguard already protected communities, the police need to have a strong relationship with the public. Both sides of the process benefit from creating close connections, facilitating a long-standing history of civilian-police cooperation.
Effect of Community Policing
Community policing is an effective method of reducing crime rates in society. It effectively fights crime as it instills fear in criminals (Crowl, 2017). The prospect of the public and law enforcers makes it hard for criminals to commit crimes, as the people involved may provide information to the law enforcement agents. This has made the practice relevant, as many people are willing to help the police apprehend suspects or investigate potential leads.
Over the years, there has been mistrust and conflicts between law enforcers and the public. The increasing rates and cases of police corruption and other crimes made it difficult for people to trust law enforcement institutions. There has been a gap in society that needs to be filled. This has led to the promotion of community policing in the hopes of uniting the two parties involved and making it more relevant today (Malone et al., 2021).
This enables the police to gain greater access to valuable information from the community that could lead to solving and preventing crimes. It will also create support for needed crime-control measures and allow officers to establish a working relationship with the community. Building trust is essential as it will create freedom and a sense of belonging to the public by involving them in police matters, unlike when they fear police officers.
Many issues are arising regarding security, and people are bringing new, different cases to police stations. In most cases, police officers are not aware of the people’s problems, making it hard for them to help them when needed. Policing helps resolve this by ensuring people have a platform to share their problems and feel heard. Due to the changing times in society today, listening to the community can help police officers to create new policing priorities (Skogan & Hartnett, 2019). This happens as it allows the officers to interact with the civilians, creating new policing procedures and giving them a platform to discuss what they are going through.
In recent years, people have begun to demand more vocal transparency from both police and government. Individuals seek to understand the systems that govern them to protect themselves from fraud and power manipulation. Community policing is the best way to acknowledge these curiosities and provide the knowledge people seek. This makes it a practical and relevant tool for today’s society.
To foster a sense of cooperation, many police stations hold community meetings, survey the public, and create information websites (Skogan & Hartnett, 2019). The digital era makes it necessary for police officials to update their websites on matters affecting the community. This makes it easy for the general public to monitor, assess, and follow news about their community, making it a practical and relevant trend and practice in today’s world.
The general public in the world today still needs police officers to help them in situations where they cannot handle themselves. Some of these situations include emergency services, peacekeeping, and order maintenance. These activities need a professional point of view, and law enforcement is needed to handle them.
Law enforcers are called in case of an emergency, accident, dispute, disturbance, or activity requiring a quick response (Malone et al., 2021). In a world with constant riots or demonstrations, celebrations or entertainment, and sporting events, people need law enforcers to control and manage the crowd. This is a good example of how community policing is still relevant and how people need friendly police officers within their communities.
Relevance of Community Policing Today
Community policing is relevant today as many police institutions provide scholarships and training grounds for the younger generation. According to Paez & Dierenfeldt (2020), community policing helps reduce the number of young adults engaging in illegal activities. By promoting good relationships with police officers, community members can provide role models for their children. This significantly affects how they view the law and law enforcers. The officers also create mentorship programs for young adults and provide a platform where they can learn and get motivation. It also enables the kids to learn and get encouraged to join the forces and serve their nation.
In situations where the safety and well-being of people are compromised, community policing is used to help these victims. In most communities, police officials create community policing victim support centers to help the affected deal with the issues and recover. In a society where crime rates are increasing, there are increased mass shootings and other criminal activities; community policing is still relevant.
These centers unite affected people and help them recover by showing them that even the police care about them and are there to help them. In society, there are vulnerable groups and populations that need to be cared for to prevent exploitation or even abuse by others. Groups such as women and children are the most affected. By creating strong and effective community policing, these groups can be protected, and their rights can be implemented to prevent exploitation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, community policing is a necessity and an effective tool for promoting the needs of both the public and law enforcement. Community members must work together to ensure that the systems of power are held accountable, while also being able to provide their services. For community policing to be relevant, it must be effective, balanced, and enduring. Ultimately, in community policing, the police become an integral part of the community culture, and the community assists in defining future priorities and allocating resources. Thus, the effectiveness of community policing, as well as working procedures and projects, is still relevant.
References
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Crowl, J. N. (2017). The effect of community policing on fear and crime reduction, police legitimacy and job satisfaction: an empirical review of the evidence. Police Practice and Research, 18(5), 449-462.
Cunningham, T. M. (2020). How police and communities can move forward together. American Bar Association. Web.
Malone, M. F. T., & Dammert, L. (2021). The police and the public: Policing practices and public trust in Latin America. Policing and society, 31(4), 418-433.
Miller, L. S., Hess, Karen M., & Orthmann, C. M. H. (2018). Community policing: partnerships for problem solving (7th ed.). Web.
Paez, R. A., & Dierenfeldt, R. (2020). Community policing and youth offending: a comparison of large and small jurisdictions in the United States. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 140-153. Web.
Skogan, W. G., & Hartnett, S. M. (2019). Community policing. Police innovation: Contrasting perspectives, 27-44. Web.
Tonry, M. (2014). Why crime rates are falling throughout the western world. Scholarship Repository. Web.
World crime rate & statistics 2012-2022. (n.d.). Macrotrends | The Long Term Perspective on Markets. Web.