1
Effect of Community Policing on a Community
Introduction
Community policing is an initiative whereby the law enforcers are mandated by their obligation to engage with the community members on solving problems that affect society (“Discover Policing”, 2021). The law enforcers take it as their responsibility to ensure that there is order in the community by proactively engaging with the community members. The community policing initiative began when law enforcers, especially the police, started engaging with the community members to reduce criminal activities in the communities they are posted to work (“Discover Policing”, 2021). The initiative worked out well, and the police began engaging with community stakeholders such as the business people, local leaders, non-profit organizations, religious people, and the general community members to achieve a joint mission of maintaining law and order. Thus the initiative’s sole purpose is to deter and combat crime through collaborative problem-solving efforts (“Discover Policing”, 2021). Community policing has many effects, which are all to the entire community’s benefit in terms of peace and unity.
According to Frank Straub, community policing makes police officers connected to the community (Straub, 2021). The law enforcers get attached to the community activities. They feel they are part and parcel of the community, therefore putting the security issues of the community at the heart of their work. Implying the law enforcers can identify all community members who support the community initiatives and those against the initiative. Thus, the law enforcers, due to the bond they have developed, can identify extremist people who radicalize others ready to cause insecurity. Thus community policing has enabled the police to be ahead of all security matters in the community and act early. It has been made possible by the community policing initiative. According to the author, community policing has been made possible by the relationship between law enforcers and community members. The warm, positive relationship helps build trust between the law enforcement agencies and the community stakeholders, which helps significantly to reduce criminal activities.
Moreover, according to Wycoff, community policing, founded on developing and maintaining loyalty and trust, has dramatically reduced criminal activities (Wycoff, 2019). The initiative helps develop programs that bring together police officers and community members such as the youths to discuss security members. For example, the Youth Police Initiative Plus program is a perfect case study of a program developed by the initiative that helps to combat crime in Boston. The programs bring together the Boston Police Department, the American Family Institute of the North, and the Youth, mainly of Somali Origin, to deliberate on security agendas affecting the community (Wycoff, 2019). Some of the issues covered and discussed in the meeting include stereotypes. These different reasons make police officers act in specific behavior and how the community can engage with the law enforcing agencies to promote rapid responses. Moreover, the meeting also discussed how effective communication could be achieved between the police and community members. All these agendas are aimed at finding better ways through which the security issue can be approached collaboratively. Thus community policing has made it possible for law enforcement agencies to meet with community members and establish a joint working approach to minimize security threats.
Also, according to Greene, community policing has led to an improved citizen’s attitude toward the police (Greene & Mastrofski, 2018). Citizens’ attitude to law enforcement agencies such as the police is critical because it builds trust. When the citizens of a given state and community are optimistic about police services, they will be motivated to build a rapport with the officers. Thus community members will be encouraged to report any hint of insecurity incidences which if the law enforcers act quickly, they can prevent the criminal incident. A positive attitude of the community members towards the police also helps the authority to open up on issues affecting them (Greene & Mastrofski, 2018). Several incidences of police officers committing suicide have been reported, which due to police officers lacking someone from within the community who they can share with their problems. Thus these incidences can be reduced when the police officers communicate with the community members due to community policing.
Furthermore, Skolnick and Bayley, community policing has encouraged police to listen to the citizens’ claims (Skolnick & Bayley, 2019). Police officers and other law enforcement agencies are mandated to attend to the allegations of the community members and work on them. However, it can be very challenging for police officers to listen to the pleas and complaints of community members if there is no rapport. Thus community policing has gone a long way in helping the community services to build rapport with the police officers, which has endeared the police officers to community members. As a result, all the community members quickly walk to any police officer and freely report any incidence they might sense is a threat to the community. This has enabled the police officers to take the community members’ definition of problems seriously and believe in whatever the community members came to report.
According to Gill, community policing has led to the effective dispensing of police services (Gill et al., 2017). The objective of any police agency is to dispense services to the citizens effectively to benefit the entire community members. They should not be biased and should listen to everyone’s comments and complaints and act swiftly towards realizing security objectives. Moreover, the rapport and trust built between the community members and the law enforcement agencies have led to the possibility of police office dispensing their services effectively. Police officers are in constant communication with the community members, leading to sharing all the problems that affect the community. In turn, the police officers value the community members and quickly act on the problems that help avert criminal threats that could otherwise strike the community. Thus, the police services are more effectively dispensed according to the citizens’ perspectives. Implying community policing helps the community be peaceful and focused on maintaining law and order and leading peaceful lives.
Additionally, Coquilhat opines that community policing enhances the communities’ capacity to deal with security issues (Coquilhat, 2018). Security issues are any incidences that interfere with the communities’ peace either in the short term or long term. These incidences include criminal activities, drug activities, and terrorism. These activities affect the stability that a community enjoys and thus pose a threat to society. Such threats are drug addiction, robbery, and terrorism, common incidences of insecurity that affect several communities globally. To combat these challenges, it is prudent for community members and the police to work together collaboratively. Thus, when the community stakeholders and the law enforcement officers work together, the community positions itself at an advantageous position and capacity to deal with insecurity. The community members work to report incidences of insecurity to the law enforcement agencies, which act promptly to the benefit of the entire community.
Besides, Skogan also outlines that community policing is beneficial to the community because it enables security threats and other general problems to be approached systematically (Skogan, 2016). Systematic problem solving involves scanning the problem, identifying and prioritizing the issues by determining the nature of the problem. Scanning also entails looking at the scope of the problem before the police take any action. Secondly, the officer analyzes the situation by researching what is known about the situation. An analysis may entail carrying out research to determine all possible contributing factors, which involves surveying certain community members. Thirdly, the officers induce a response mechanism by developing solutions by actively engaging all community stakeholders. These solutions designed by the community and the police officers bring about a lasting reduction in the number and extent of the problem. Lastly, the officers evaluate the success of the response through an assessment mechanism and make the necessary adjustments.
However, the community also policing negatively affects the community, such as community members taking the police officers too casually. In some incidences, the police officers can get accustomed to the community behaviors. For example, some police officers might be addicted to smoking or drinking alcohol and drinking alcohol with the community members who are their friends. Moreover, community members with a criminal history might conspire to bribe police officers because of the warm relationship with the officers. All these adverse incidences are catastrophic to the communities’ objective of realizing long-lasting peace.
Conclusion
In conclusion, community policing has many effects, all to the benefit of the entire community in terms of peace and unity. Firstly, community policing makes police officers to be connected to the community. Secondly, the initiative helps develop programs that bring together police officers and community members such as the youths to discuss security members. For example, the Youth Police Initiative Plus program is a perfect case study of a program developed by the initiative that helps to combat crime in Boston. Thirdly, community policing has led to an improved citizen’s attitude toward the police. Also, community policing has encouraged police to listen to the citizens’ claims, thus effectively dispensing police services. Moreover, community policing is beneficial to the community because it enables security threats and other general problems to be approached systematically. However, community policing negatively affects the community; for example, community members take the police officers too casually and engaging with them to discharge criminal activities.
The post 1 Effect of Community Policing on a Community Introduction Community policing is appeared first on PapersSpot.