Police Use of Force - Essay Example

The most important reason for the application of force by the law enforcement agency is the aspect of compliance in which the police may apply force to ensure that individuals comply with established laws. The use of force by the police may include verbal as well as physical moderation, less-fatal, and brutal force depending on the situation. The degree of force applied by law enforcement personnel is relative to the situation because police are expected to use whichever quantity of force to manage a situation.

This implies that the level of force to be applied by the police is not established and they are required to asses the situating and apply that force that guarantees compliance, safety and protection. The major factors that make it necessary for the application of force by the police include, managing an incident, executing an arrest as well as defending themselves and society from danger. The use of force refers to an individual’s privilege to resolve disagreements or deter unfavorable deeds through the application of mechanisms that discourage a person from certain actions or getting physically involved to stop such actions (Alpert & Dunham, 2004).

Government administrations in most countries and realms across the world permit civilians and law enforcement to apply force in deterring looming incidence of crime. Police are particularly empowered to use force in cases where the stoppage or prevention of crime and other unlawful activities is involved. Similarly, the use of force may be invoked by the administrative arm of regime via the deployment of security forces; police or army to guarantee order in the community. The application of force is enshrined in the law whereby the police are allowed and expected to apply force in certain situations as they deem fit to ensure that peace, order, and stability are not compromised.

Conflict resolution can take the mode of negotiation where the people involved are of the same standard. However, in cases where there is a conflict between a law enforcer and an offender, force may be applied to settle the conflict. This is more applicable when the offender fails to comply with orders from law enforcement or when the law breaker attempts to flee from the police; in such cases force is to be applied to handle the situation. The degree of force to be applied by police is not established though it is expected that only necessary force should be applied by law enforcement to restore order (Kuhns & Knutsson, 2010).

Therefore, as regards protecting people’s lives or their property, the amount of force used should be that which is reasonable to achieve the purpose of safety under the circumstances at hand. It is left to the discretion of the police to decide which degree of force is necessary and reasonable to address the situation at hand. To that effect, there exist checks and balances over the use of force by police in the sense that in cases where officers apply force beyond the measure required in a given situation, they are liable to disciplinary action because they must account for their actions.

Hence, it is expected that the police make ethical and considerate decisions regarding the manner in which they ought to apply force without misusing the prerogative. The degrees of force include, verbal and physical, less lethal and brutal; incases where brutal force ought to be applied other lesser degrees should be attempted first before applying the higher degree. Police use force for a variety of