Compare and contrast two models of policing PDF

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Compare and contrast two models of policing? What are the strengths and weaknesses present? This essay aims to compare and contrast different models of policing and the intended outcome is to create a clear and concise understanding between the models as well gaining an understanding of which elements of policing work better together. This will be achieved by briefly outlining each model, looking at the key elements and seeing how they work for the police and lastly moving on to examining and discussing the strengths and weaknesses present within each model. Crime and crime rates shift and change, patterns form and fashion and this has a direct correlation on how successful a policing model is. Many different models have been formed, practiced and experimented. The two models that will be the basis of this paper are the community-orientated policing model and the problem-orientated policing model. Each model offers a distinct and different approach and there are wide ranges of different qualities involved in each strategy. The London Metropolitan Police service instigated in 1829 and it was organised by Sir Robert Peel and it was the leading and most current police force in the world. (content.met.police.uk/Site/historicalarchives) They believed that by bringing the public to order, the public are prioritised and this is what would result in the community co-operating in the enforcement of certain laws and policies. The first model that will be discussed is Community-orientated Policing. Community-orientated policing emphasises the significance of developing a close relationship between the police and the public. “The police at all times should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition” This relates to Sir Robert Peel’s famous quote derived from his 1829 Principles of Law Enforcement that “the police are the public and the public are the police”. The police are the only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the intent of the community welfare. A strength of this relationship is that it looks to improve the police control as well as keeping a high level of agreement and satisfaction within the local communities. It allows the police to overcome a situation with consideration, guidance and participation from the local neighborhoods. Allowing opportunities for involvement such as neighborhood watch programs and volunteer police programs which allow the police to work with the community to their advantage. Local officers can earn respect and trust from their community, which is also beneficial as it creates a relationship between them. The Police estimate that only “40 per cent of all crimes are ever reported.” This could mean that trusting police officers and the protectors of your community can have a direct impact on the amount of crimes reported. Additionally, these police officers and chief constables can also work as role models to younger members of society. The traditional African proverb “It takes a village to raise a child.” is relatable as the ‘village’ i.e. in this case, the community is involved in raising the younger generation. It means that community members can then pass on their adopted cultural norms and values to the new generation. It can be argued that by working together, this ‘partnership’ contributes into building a safer and better environment for the community. A further example of this is the school-based drug prevention program, which works to deter youths from drugs. It is known as Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) and was developed in 1983. DARE aims “to teach effective peer resistance and refusal skills so that adolescents can say “no” to drugs and to their friends who may want them to use drugs.”

Not only does this educate the youth on the dangers of drugs but it also works well to humanise police officers and give young people a positive representation rather than the negative stereotype often encouraged in the media. It also gives them the chance to see police officers/community members similar to themselves. Actively bringing police officers and neighborhood citizens together to protect their neighborhood as a team emphasises the prevention of crime rather than the oldfashioned policing method of just simply responding to crime once it has occurred and the damage is created. Community policing aims to and works to prevent it. In contrast to this, “the community cannot succeed in constructing decent, open, and orderly communities without a professional and responsive police force” This means that the effectiveness of this 50/50 effort is debatable as it is vital that the police force have a sufficient amount of training and can approach the public appropriately. Limited or inadequate training acts as a hindrance and community policing relies on a lot of extensive training. A ‘Perspectives on Policing’ newspaper article published in January 1993 titled ‘Community Policing and the Police Officer’ states the following training programs as essential; “Communications skills: the ability to talk effectively with all types of citizens, from community leaders to ordinary residents, as well as the ability to listen and learn effectively. Public speaking: the ability to articulate ideas and motivate others, as well as the art of leading meetings in ways to draw out the thoughts and ideas of the participants. Problem-solving techniques: how to identify and analyse problems, as well as how to develop effective responses and solutions. Conflict resolution and negotiating: how to help citizens resolve disputes within the community, rather than resorting to violence or "self-help," or engaging formal legal mechanisms.” Goldstein argues, “However strongly the head of an agency may elicit a different style of policing, the quality of an officer's daily life is heavily dependent on how well the officer satisfies the expectations and demands of his or her immediate supervisor.” The second model to discuss is problem-orientated policing. Compared to community policing, this is more of a global effort with American origins. This strategy takes a proactive role in identifying and understanding the problems a community may experience. It aims to solve persistent community problems. MacDonald notes that it differs from community-orientated policing “through its focus on specific crime problems and achieving crime reduction results rather than on the means of policing” (2002, 598) Police identify, analyse, and respond to the underlying circumstances that create incidents. The theory behind it is that underlying conditions create problems (Goldstein 1979). Thus officers use the information gathered in their responses to incidents, together with information obtained from other sources, to get a clearer picture of the problem (Eck and Spelman 1987). “ Supporting theory derives from the traditional problem solving model known as the acronym SARA which stands for its four sequenced stages: scanning, analysis, response and assessment. This is the most common model that “guides the design and implementation of multi-agency, problem-solving crime reduction initiatives In order for problems to be recognised, they must first be scanned. After scanning, they have to be fully analysed in detail and then a response is formed after a thorough assessment of the problem. The SARA model can be praised for the division of the project into separate systematic stages as they “ensure that the necessary steps are undertaken in proper sequence – for example, that solutions are not adopted before an analysis of the problem has been undertaken. This is a useful check on the

natural tendency to jump straight to a final response, while skimping on definition of the problem and analysis and forgetting to assess their impact on the problem.” On the contrary, the SARA model has been criticised for being “over-simplistic” (Bullock and Tilley, 2009) as it can be argued that problems are broken down, central information is overlooked and the complexity of the problems is disregarded. After comparing community-orientated policing to problem-orientated policing it is evident which model is more suitable and effective. The community model is a “philosophy that promotes organisational strategies while supporting the systematic use of partnerships and problem solving techniques to proactively address the immediate conditions that give rise to public safety issues.” It looks to help the community in various ways; it works on building it, creating cycles within generations and promoting growth whereas problem-orientated policing just works to solve issues as and when they occur. The community model has proven so far to be one of the most successful and widely used models throughout the history of law enforcement. It promotes participation, equity and teamwork. In contrast to both models, before either of them were implemented and during “an era dominated by reform policing” Gene and Elaine Carte wrote in 1975 about Vollmer’s philosophy of policing. August Vollmer was the founder or professional policing and “his officers were problem solvers. He expected each man to be the ‘chief’ of his beat, to bear responsibility for dealing with problems of any nature that came up within the area he patrolled. He was to work closely with merchants to establish preventive measures and to know the families on his beat well enough to detect delinquency problems or unusual needs” Law-enforcement models have changed and evolved in response to the changing demands of society. Community policing offers an alternative to traditional policing models and in order for community policing to achieve legitimacy, it is important that it acknowledges the variations between communities. Every community is different, they each hold their own unique values and beliefs and sometimes, those values can clash and create conflict. This urban society is changing and growing more and more every day and a policing strategy that encourages growth is the way forward. Neighbourhoods should work on being a safer place to live. Community policing promotes growth. Progress. Evolution. Equity. Equality. The police are the public and the public are the police.

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