Electronic Policing - Essay Example

Argument Essay: Electronic Policing There is no doubt that security is one thing that many governments across the world have given utmost priority to. Increasing security threats brought about by factors such as technological advancements and terrorism and the need to enhance public safety are the main driving forces behind governments’ prioritization of security (Snow 14). In a bid to enhance security and public safety, governments have embraced various approaches. Electronic policing is one of the key approaches that governments have embraced in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of crime control as well as to provide services to their citizens (Sheldon and Paul 29).

This paper will discuss electronic policing. In particular, it will focus on showing that electronic policing is critical in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of crime control and providing services to citizens. Generally, electronic policing refers to the transaction of information and services between the citizens and police via the internet. It focuses on the needs of the public as well as those of the citizens. Electronic policing is a system that has been developed in the wake of the Internet, and it has become increasingly central to public information and access (Brainard and Teresa 384).

Recent surveys of the models of police service have shown that electronic service is an emerging trend, and its implementation has become successful in improving police services and controlling crime. Electronic service allows for secure reporting of incidents that can be considered to be non-urgent but need to be addressed (Wall 184). Besides, it gives the public the opportunity to file police reports for some crimes and incidents via the Internet seven days a week, and twenty-four hours a day.

This is critical in the sense that it frees patrol officers of the time that they would have spent tracking down these crimes and incidents; therefore, they are able to focus their time and resources on other aspects of controlling crime (Foster 61). Existing studies indicate that crime control is one of the important tasks that are facing some problems. These problems include crime investigation difficulties, need for witness support, organization of the process of crime investigation, and the need to motivate citizens to interact with the police and other government agencies (Wall 191).

Since the embracing of electronic policing, the system has proved to be critical in addressing most of these problems and improving efficiency and effectiveness in the control of crime. It has expanded the society’s channels of communications via the Internet and reduced the cost of communication as well. In addition, it has reduced, and in some cases eliminated, barriers to communication, which has been fundamental in improving efficiency and effectiveness of crime control and provision of quality services to the citizens (Snow 27).

Electronic policing is critical in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of crime control and provision of services to citizens in a number of ways. To start with, it allows the citizens to report incidents and crimes that do not require face-to-face contact with the police (Wall 204). In addition, it has provided better access for citizens who are in areas too remote or rural to interact with the police. Electronic policing has given the citizens the opportunity to ask questions and obtain answers conveniently.

Moreover, it has brought numerous benefits to the police (Sheldon and Paul 45). Online forms that are used in the system have ensured that questions of identical screening are asked. Because of electronic policing, the police have enhanced the ability to schedule work through the day in an even manner. More importantly, electronic policing has enabled the police to deliver 24/7 police services in a cost-effective and convenient manner without appearing at the scene physically (Foster 78). Actually, in some instances they are able to establish a virtual police station in remote areas and scenes of crime.

Furthermore, electronic policing has improved linkages with local partners and organizations, and this is fundamental in improving efficiency and effectiveness in controlling crime and providing services to the citizens (Brainard and Teresa 397). Conclusion As discussed in this essay, it is evidently clear that electronic policing is critical in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of crime control and in the provision of services to citizens. It opens new ways of conducting business for the police not only through newly available tools but also through the creation of an interactive information flow between the citizens and the police.

It fosters two-way communication thereby providing better access of information for both the police and the citizens. It also enables initial public contacts to be handled in electronic way. Furthermore, it delivers information to the police urgently decreasing public inconvenience. Lastly, electronic policing is a proof that the police are in synch with emerging technology. Works Cited Brainard, Lori A., and Teresa Derrick-Mills. "Electronic Commons, Community Policing, And Communication." Administrative Theory & Praxis (M.E. Sharpe) 33.3 (2011): 383-410.

Foster, Raymond E. Police Technology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005. Print. Sheldon, Barrie, and Paul Wright. Policing and Technology. Exeter, UK: Learning Matters, 2010. Internet resource. Snow, Robert L. Technology and Law Enforcement: From Gumshoe to Gamma Rays. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2007. Print. Wall, David S. "Policing Cybercrimes: Situating The Public Police In Networks Of Security Within Cyberspace." Police Practice & Research 8.2 (2007): 183-205.