Police Strategy Assessment
Police are important people in the community. They help in enforcing law and order in all their endeavors. They have a distinctive hierarchy that help in channeling pertinent issues. The chain of command starts from a police constable and sergeant who are stationed in one station. The sergeant has the mandate to organize and deploy his staff in areas that are of considerable interest concerning the infringement of law by unlawful people (Deflem, 2004). In this discussion, I have been given the mandate by my supervising officer to come up with a strategy that will help in reducing the menace that is cropping up in our metropolitan region.
Crimes Identified
A report reaching the suburb police station indicates that there is an increase in levels of robbery and violence that are currently occurring in the area. Robbery and violence in this case is described as taking other peoples items by use of force and injuring them in the process (Ratcliffe, 2007). The robbers are out to get the goods by force, and if the owner tries to defend, then they can employ all tactics to ensure that they have accomplished their mission. In the course of their attack, the robbers can use all types of weapons (Sheptycki, 2002). These may include crude weapons like machetes, hammers and even stones. Advanced robbers may use sophisticated weapons like AK47 and other dangerous riffles. It is normally a enormous challenge to deal with robbers. The process thus requires proper planning on how to deal with the issue. Sometimes, the police officers have lost life in trying to arrest the gangsters.
Police Strategies to Be Used
A strategy is a plan on how to solve an issue that is affecting people. In the police department, there are several strategies that can be employed to control the law breakers and even arrest those who have already acted against the law (Walker, 2005). The strategies include preventive patrol, criminal investigation, routine incidence response, emergency response and community policing among others. In my report, I prefer preventive patrol and criminal investigation.
Preventive Patrol
Preventive patrol strategy is an extremely useful strategy in controlling the occurrence of crimes. It tries to stop crimes before they can happen. It involves the use of the beat cop which is an integral element of preventive patrol. This can be implemented through a variety of several operational plans. There are groups of policemen who use horses, patrol cars, bikes, motorbikes and others may just walk on foot (Deflem, 2004). These policemen are normally out to check on any area that could be experiencing trouble. This strategy can be applied in various ways. For example, crackdowns can be launched to identify and arrest the suspected criminals. On the other hand, roadblocks can be used to cite the suspected criminals and arrest them. In areas and neighborhood where there is a high level of crimes the police may use directed patrol. This involves concentration of police patrol in such areas (Ratcliffe, 2007).
Criminal Investigation
Criminal investigation is a strategy that is employed by the police in areas where the crime took place. The police use advanced technology to investigate on how the crime was carried out. The police detective supervises illegal investigation of the event at the scene (Sheptycki, 2002). In this strategy, the police rely on application of ordinary sciences on criminal issues or forensics. The (CSI), crime scene investigation team will gather tangible evidence at the crime scene. This evidence is used to determine what happened (Reiss, 1992). Forensic techniques are used to reconstruct what occurred. This may include serology, ballistics or DNA analysis (Walker, 2005). By employing this strategy, the police department in this area will have to solve a lot of crimes that have happened.
Theoretical Development of Preventive Patrol
Preventive patrol is thought to be helpful in deterring crime. Many people observe that the police officers who patrol in the area can keep off the criminals. Thus, it reduces the illegal actions that may take place. This assumption was first tested in the Kansas City. The outcome shocked the American Policing foundation. In the experiment, three sections were established from a 15 beat section. This was done in relation to factors that made the three sections equal. The policing department looked at the following factors. Population characteristics, the number of calls for help to police station and crime rates were all the same (Deflem, 2004). In one area, all police patrol were removed and only responded when the citizens called for help. This area was labeled as a reactive area. In the second are which was marked proactive, the preventive patrol was quadrupled. The other services were provided to citizens as they were in the earlier moments. The third section was used as a control when all services were provided to the required standards and the preventive patrol upheld (Sheptycki, 2002). After a year, the researchers identified that there was no much difference in crime rates and the fear of the citizens affected by the law breakers (Ratcliffe, 2007). The increase in patrol actions did not increase or reduce the crime rate.
Application of the strategies
It is observed that one strategy may encounter some shortcomings as in the case study of Kansas City. In my organization, I chose to integrate two strategies so that whenever one strategy encounters problems the other strategy is available to save the situation. The preventive patrol works wonders if it is properly initiated. In the first place, I will subdivide the area into three key portions East, South and North (Deflem, 2004). The parts shall have the same number of people, economic status and number of reported robbery crimes.
The patrol police officers will be assigned to their specific regions to ensure that any person who may try to break the law is put into custody (Walker, 2005). All the groups shall have a team leader who will coordinate activities during the patrol time. All the police officers on duty will be required to be with their phones (Reiss, 1992). These phones will enable the officers to keep in touch with other police officers and the community at large. It will be necessary for any group that may need assistance to communicate to the group leaders, but the supervising officer should be notified on the same. The police officers will work in shifts to make sure that, at any time, the assigned area is occupied by the police officers as planned (Ratcliffe, 2007). The high risk areas like the southern part which is prone to robbery the police shall make ambush, and arrest those suspected to be carrying out the unlawful acts.
Materials and equipment
To deal effectively with the robbers, it is necessary to equip the police force with the required tools. In relation to this, all the police officers will be given bullet proofs to protect themselves from injures that may be caused by riffles (Sheptycki, 2002). Secondly, all the riffles that will be used during the night shall be more advanced. For every group, there will be detective equipment. These equipments will help in determining the position of the law breaker if he has disappeared from the police vicinity. Each group shall be in possession of specially trained dogs which will enhance the performance of the police officers on duty.
Rules and regulations
For effective management of the police force, all the police officers must follow rules and regulations as stipulated in the police regulatory rules. To add on that all police officers will be required to be on standby so as whenever there is a need to beef up the security the officers whether on duty or not must attend to the emergency as requested by other police officers (Sheptycki, 2002). This will ensure that the workforce is provided at the required place at the correct time. Any robbery suspect who will be arrested will be taken to the court as soon as possible to avoid overcrowding of the police cells. This means that all the arrested suspects must appear before the court in twenty-four hours time (Ratcliffe, 2007). This applies to those suspects whose investigations are through.
Teamwork spirit is much valuable in the police force. All the police officers will be required to work aiming at one goal, robbery and violence eradication (Walker, 2005). This calls for all the police officers to be more vigilant and work in connection with other officers to attain this objective. The other hugely significant aspect in the police organization is integrity (Reiss, 1992). In this case all the police officers will be accountable for personal actions that are not related to the work that is before us. There has been a problem on bribery in the police force. In this mission no police officer will be expected to take any form of item from the suspects or citizens without any good reason (Deflem, 2004). This will lead to conviction of both the police officer and the person involved so all police officers are expected to work with a lot of personal integrity.
Applying Criminal Investigation
The preventive patrol will help to prevent the occurrence of other numerous robbery crimes. In recent times, there have been a lot of cases that were reported (Walker, 2005). There is the need to investigate these events and find those responsible for destroying other people’s properties through robbery and violence. In some cases, the crimes may take place and the police officer may be at another place (Sheptycki, 2002). To get those responsible, it is necessary to employ criminal investigation method. In this method, there will be specially trained officers to carry out investigation. They will be provided with tools and equipments which are able to detect and reveal the information of the suspect. In this regard, the crime scene investigation team will make all the necessary investigation and identify the suspects (Reiss, 1992). Once the investigation is through, the suspect must face the court of law for judgment.
Validity of the Strategies
Robbery and violence is a absolute menace to citizens in the suburb area, and it has to be eradicated. There are various benefits of implementing the two strategies as discussed above. Preventive patrol is divergent in its application (Ratcliffe, 2007). It can take the form of split force patrols. This formula is highly economical and effective to control the crime rate. This helps the police officers to separate their time into two. First time, to respond to citizens calls and secondly, there is time to patrol. Although there is time to respond when people call for assistance, the police patrols are not removed from their work. So this enables most of the areas to be accessible to the police officers at all times (Deflem, 2004).
The preventive patrol can easily track down the suspects and arrest them before they break the law it can be managed through organizing crackdowns and roadblocks (Walker, 2005). The two strategies merged together will provide the required security in the suburb area. Where one strategy is limited the other comes in and solves the problem and the criminal activities will be reduced within a short time.
Conclusion
The police are the key members of the society who enforces law and order. They apply different strategies to curb crime activities that are committed by malicious people who are out to destroy peace that exist among honest citizens (Deflem, 2004). The police strategies, which can be, implemented include preventive patrol, criminal investigation, routine incidence response, emergency response and community policing among others. The strategies can be integrated to get better results (Ratcliffe, 2007). For example in the discussion, the integration of criminal investigation and preventive patrol gives incredible results.
References
Deflem, M. (2004). Policing World Society; Historical Foundations of International Police Cooperation. New York: Oxford publishers,.
Ratcliffe, J. (2007). Strategic Thinking in Criminal Intelligence, Annadale, NSW: The Federation Press.
Reiss Jr, Albert J. (1992). Police Organization in the Twentieth Century. Chicago: Harvard Publishers.
Sheptycki, J. (2002). In Search of Transnational Policing. New York: Macmillan Publishers.
Walker, S. (2005). The New World of Police Accountability. Philedelphia: LongHorn Publishers.