The importance of ethics in policing is increasing as the world changes. As crime is becoming less of a community issue and more of an international one, police forces are increasingly working with people from all over the world. As a consequence of these changes, ethical issues are coming into play more now than they ever have.
The situation of policing is altering and the police service experience numerous trials. This change is inspired by broader changes, both social, political and economical in nature. Furthermore, it needs people to consider and rethink the ethical elements of police practice. One example is the shifting crime trends which operate outside the borders of the nation. This means that police need to work on a global scale and improve the levels of policing practice internationally (Martin, 2012).
Additionally, crime has turned into an extremely debated subject among governments in Western democracies, counting Europe and the US. Some people have attracted focus to the shifting quality of policing, which is not controlled by the regular police anymore, and now comprises an extensive variety of agencies and stakeholders. According to Denise Martin (2012) Europe has witnessed the implementation of the “European Convention of Human Rights” which was passed as UK law in 1998. These stress that public agencies must respect the rights in the routine of their responsibilities. Similarly, widely recognised senior officers have highlighted a requirement to create ethical standards in policing (Martin, 2012).
Founding and improving ethical standards in policing has become a priority to many law enforcement agencies around the world. As the nature of crime seems to be changing and going global, the skills of the police need to reflect this.
References
Martin, D. (2012). Police and Ethics. ERCES. Retrieved from http://www.erces.com/journal/articles/archives/volume3/v01/v04.htm
