COMMUNITY POLICING AND PROBLEM SOLVING

Community Policing and Problem Solving

Community policing

Introduction to community policing

Community policing is defined to reduce criminal activities within a particular community and plays an important role in managing crime rates to a minimum level, decrease the element of panic, with society members serving to recognize victims and suspects, detain offenders, convey the issues to the attention of police, or otherwise target the social problems which give rise to a crime problem in the first place.

In America, the main objective pursued through the establishment of community policing seems to lie in the willingness of political power to curb the "feeling of insecurity," the alternative to prevent and reduce crime, where the idea of transforming the image of the police in order to promote its relations with the people closes.

Aspects of community policing

The characteristics of the Police community are the following:

• That police action should be structured based on special locations and districts.

• Permanent contact with the local population within the framework of the local security contract.

• The role of the police must be multifaceted, from enforcement role to the social service.

• Discretion and responsibility must be substantive delegated to the police. (Thacher, 2001)

Problem Solving

Community policing is a PHILOSOPHY for the responsible police work; PROBLEM SOLVING (P.O.P.) is the approach and a kind of strategy that is used to resolve community problems of crime and decay; and PARTNERSHIPS are the devices or a methodology that applies to the problem solving.

The process of being involved in the practical and methodical assessment of recognized troubles to expand and thoroughly appraise efficient response. Community policing requires police to become skillful in what is branded as the SARA model of problem solving.

Scanning: Recognizing and prioritizing problems.

Analysis: Investigating criteria about the problem.

Response: coming up with innovative solutions to ...