The Effectiveness of Community Policing

The Effectiveness of Community Policing

Introduction

Before we discuss the effectiveness of community policing, it is first necessary to ponder over its objectives while also throwing light on the practices of community policing as observed in the United States. The commitment of community policing towards problem-solving practices is something that is synonymous with their success in the United States. Hence, a shift towards community-based policing systems from traditional systems cannot simply be viewed as a change mechanism; rather, it deserves to be discussed from varying perspectives in order to see how the practices of policing changed over time, giving way to a reduced urban crime rate in the U.S. Thus, raises the community policing, not as a panacea, but as a complement of management of modern police services, working not only with the community, but from the community of which it is party.

Thesis

Community policing plays an effective role in reducing urban crimes, while categorizing appropriate resources in the best possible manner. This is an underlying practice of modern-day policing that is truly effective and efficient in criminal investigation and prosecution.

Discussion

The concept of community policing is not new, since the main principles were defined in the early 19th century. It was not until the second half of 20th century that its applications in the field expanded, particularly in France, Belgium, England and several U.S. cities. The implementation of a community approach to answering the need for all police forces better address the insecurity expressed by the population, especially in neighborhoods, sectors or cities struggling with widespread problems of crime and harassment. However the current fragmentation of human resources, material and information in multiple police forces constitutes a serious constraint on the performance of police organizations. Recognizing this problem, the Department of Public Safety proceeds to create reforms in order to establish larger police forces, which would be better structured, with more staff, with expertise of a broader human force, capable of providing the population with higher levels of services and, in principle, more efficient. Since this reform is insufficient in itself, its principal effect is to re-deploy the resources provided according to the territories served. If this re-allocation occurs within the organizational structure prevailing today, while retaining the larger-scale conventional police practices; the potential gains in police performance may be restricted. Hence, in order to enhance the effectiveness of policing, a better mechanism of re-allocation of public safety resources is essential.

Analysis and Synthesis

The shift towards community policing from traditional policing was not a random strategy. It took a long time and a lot of inter-operational and organizational factors that were responsible behind this transition. As discussed in the table given below, the inter-operational tasks included the structure of organizations, the patterns of communication that was undertaken within the departments of public safety organizations and the perception of the officers about decision-making practices (Glaser & Parker, 2001, 166).

Glaser, M. A., & Parker, L. E. (2001), “The Thin Blue Line Meets the Bottom Line of Community Policing”, ...