Community policing also known as community-oriented policing can be loosely defined as the strategy of policing aimed at building ties and working closely with members of the communities and the police. With the high rate of crimes in the society, the duty of maintaining law and order is no longer solely in the ambit of the police. The police are more effective when they can depend on residents for help. It is in this breath, therefore, that members of the community are called upon to join hands with the police in enhancing and maintaining the safety and quality of neighborhoods. In essence, community policing gives citizens more control over the quality of life in their community.
In the United States of America, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), established by the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 within the Justice Department has the mandate of promoting community policing. Community policing is, therefore, a philosophy that facilitates and promotes organizational strategies which support the systematic use of partnerships and problem-solving techniques, aimed at addressing the immediate conditions giving rise to public safety issues which include but not limited to crime, social disorder, and fear of crime.
This concept of community policing takes the form of community partnership where several stakeholders or entities are involved. These entities comprise community members or groups, the media, non-profit or service providers, private businesses and other government agencies such as legislative bodies, prosecutors, probation and parole, public works departments, neighboring law enforcement agencies, health and human services, child support services and schools.
In order to realize effectiveness and efficacy in community policing, a foundation of trust between the police and citizens is of great importance. Basically, trust is the core values that underpins and links the tenets of community partnership and problem solving. There are some certain day to day duties and activities of the police which play a major role in enhancing community policing. These duties and activities include, inter alia: Directed patrol- Patrols are specific and intelligence driven, designed to deal with existing and emerging problems in the community. These patrols can be done on foot or in vehicles to facilitate communication and the building of relationships between the officers and the community members; Identifying and prioritizing problems -the community members provide officers with information about the problems facing them and together they prioritize the issues and problems; Organizing- organizing activities oriented to specific problems and to enhance the overall quality of life in the community; Communicating - there are both formal and informal sessions aimed at educating people about crime prevention and other issues as well as managing communication with the media.
Community policing has helped the police access more resources at their disposal for crime prevention activities instead of being involved in responding to crimes that have already been committed. Community policing has also helped in improving the standards of living of the community members for example in the provision of effective street lighting by the state. The gap between the police and the community members has also been bridged and therefore, feelings of fear, hatred and attitude towards the police have been greatly eradicated. This in turns has been translated to a solid foundation of security. The crux of the matter remains to be that community policing is not a quick fix and, therefore, requires patience and commitment for its realization in crime deterrence and revitalization of neighborhoods.
References
Cole, G., & Gertz, M. (2012). The Criminal Justice System: Politics and Policies. New York: Wadsworth.
Siegel, L. (2009). Introduction to Criminal Justice. New York: Cengage Learning.
