Cultures and Traditions of Various Countries - Research Paper Example

?Comparing International Police Departments For a seasoned traveller, there may be a marked number of differences between cultures and traditions of various countries. Culture shock may be a term that is easily thrown around because of the varying ways that people conduct themselves. However, there is a common denominator among all the nations of the world. A department of peace and security that holds almost similar mission objectives and goals when it comes to the protection of the immediate population of the residents of a certain country. That common denominator is the police department. It is the one arm of government that is consistently present across the nations of the world. Though dressed differently and perhaps varying in function, the main objective of the force, that is to protect the people of the community, remains the steadfast goal of the department. This paper is meant to serve as an in introduction and comparison to three of the most notable police department's in the Western and European hemisphere namely the New York Police Department in the United States, the London Police of England,And the An Garda Siochana -- Ireland's National Police Force. To kick off this paper, the spotlight shall be trained upon the heroes of the 9/11 attacks -- the New York Police Department. The New York police department hold's the disntinct mission of enhancing the quality of life of ever New York City resident by working closely with the community. The power of the police department comes from their constitutional right to enforce laws, preserve the peace, reduce fear, and provide a safe environment for the citizens of the city. The core objectives of the force are as follows: In partnership with the community we (the New York City Police Department) pledge to: Protect the lives and property of our fellow citizens and impartially enforce the law. Fight crime both by preventing it and by aggressively pursuing violators of the law. Maintain a higher standard of integrity than is generally expected of others because so much is expected of us. Value human life, respect the dignity of each individual and render our services with courtesy and civility. (“NYPD”) Established in 1845, the New York City Police Department is the largest municpal police force in the United States. Their area of coverage includes the five boroughs of New York known as Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. The police department has a vast array of speclialized teams that patrol the city or respond to emergencies. These specialized services list the Emergency Service Unit, K-9 unit, harbor patrol, air support, bomb disposal, counter-terrorism, criminal intelligence, anti-gang, anti-organized crime, and narcotics, just to name a few. In order to ensure the safety of every New Yorker, the New York police department is divided into 123 precints, without a precint 12 for some reason. Each precint functions independently of one another and has jurisdiction over specific areas of the city and the boroughs.(“NYPD”) Due to the vast size of the city, the manpower the New York police department sometimes comes up short in terms of visible security but due to the community partnership that exists between the police department and the community leaders, New York City has become one of the safest cities in the world, more so after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. One of the most important security measures in place within New York City that is enforced by the police department is the controversial stop and frisk operation that allows the police to do random checks of people who seem to be acting suspiciously in public. Of course a comparison study of the police departments will not be complete unless we study the police department of the city capital of the country that gave birth to the United States, the police department of London, England. The police department of London is divided into 2 groups. These groups are known as the Metropolitan Police Force Patrol and the City of London Police. Each group has a specific function in terms of protecting the city and dress in different uniforms in order to help the public tell them apart. The Metropolitan Police are known as the “Boys in Blue” and they wear a unique badge on the front part of their top hat. Their uniforms are very dark blue in color, worn with white shirts, and topped by tall helmets. The Metropolitan Police could be considered to be the counterparts of the American FBI and CIA departments. Its office is located in Scotland Yard and one of the main functions of this police department is to protect the queen and other members of the royal family. On the other hand, the City of London police force has been placed in charge of the Square Mile of the city. Their territory is often described as covering; “the River Thames in the south to the Barbican Centre in the north, Holborn and Fleet Street to the west and Aldgate and Liverpool Street to the east” (Project Britain: British Life and Culture”). Set up a decade after the Metropolitan Police, a stranger to the country can tell them apart from the other police enforcers on the street by the distinct red checkered pattern on their police caps or ladies hats. The hat is adorned with a gold colored helmet plate and gold colored buttons. London is also known for its expansive waterways which is why unlike the other police departments, theirs has a River Police Department covering the “84 miles of the River Thames from Teddington Lock(at Ham, west London) to Erith (in the London Borough of Bexley), and 12 miles of rivers and navigable creeks in the London area “ (British Police”). Both police departments came into existence after 1829 when the streets of London were patrolled by the Bow Street Runners, known as the first professional police force in Britain. In a similar fashion to its New York City counterpart, the London police also use a stop and search method of security checks in order to keep the people of London safe. Unlike the NYPD, the stop and search police function of the London police are covered by various laws of the land that includes Section 60 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act of 1194 which gave the police department the power to: ... search people in a defined area at a specific time when they believe, with good reason, that: there is the possibility of serious violence; or that a person is carrying a dangerous object or offensive weapon; or that an incident involving serious violence has taken place and a dangerous instrument or offensive weapon used in the is being carried in the locality. This law has to be authorised by a senior officer and is used mainly to tackle gang related violence. (“Total Policing”). That mandate is supported by the objective of the London Police Department to “fighting crime at all levels. Although we fulfil a national role tackling fraud and other serious criminality, our local role is no less important to us” Also in a similar fashion to the New York Police Department, the London Police force can be seen riding any of the following modes of transport in the performance of their duties: police car police motorcyle police horse Since the focus of this paper is already on the European police forces, it would be interesting to now discuss the little known Irish police force known as the An Garda Siochana. Prior to the establishment of the An Garda Siochana, the Irish society was policed by the County Constabulary which was established in 1822. It was from this point that various incarnations of the Irish national police were formed. Some of the names that the police force went by was the Irish Constabulary, The Dublin Metropolitan Police, and the “Civic Guard” to name a few of its incarnations. The An Garda Siochana was established in 1922 after the establishment of the Irish Free State. As if copying its mission objective from the New York Police department, the national police service of Ireland is tasked to protect and serve the communities of Ireland. Unlike its New York and British counterparts however, the police force is not composed of police academy graduates but rather 14. 500 Garda and civilian employees coming from the ranks of the community organization. The main office of the Irish national police is located in Dublin's Pheonix Park. Of all the 3 police departments that have been discussed so far, it is the An Garda Siochana that bears a clear mission objective which it no doubt also shares with its 3 counterparts. The core function of An Garda Sochiana include: the detection and prevention of crime; ensuring our nation’s security; reducing the incidence of fatal and serious injuries on our roads and improving road safety; working with communities to prevent anti-social behaviour; promoting an inter-agency approach to problem solving and improving the overall quality of life (“An Garda Siochana”). If the New York Police Department patrols the five boroughs of the city, the Garda patrol 6 Garda force regions known as the: Dublin Metropolitan Region Eastern Northern Southern South-eastern Western (“An Garda Siochana”) Unlike the New York and London police departments, the Garda are not an armed police unit. Rather than handcuffs, baton, and gun the Garda are only equipped with ASP extendable batons, pepper spray, and standard issue handcuffs in the performance of their duties. This is because the garda are considered to be community volunteers rather than highly trained police officers. It is important to note however that the Garda were originally armed until it was believed that because it was not a formal police force, the guns and other life threatening modes of protection should not be given to the garda on duty. However, the regional response units and emergency response units, being on the front line of more serious and violent security problems are allowed to carry firearms. Of the three police forces that were included for study in this paper, the one with the most unique method of enforcing the law has to be the Irish An Garda Siochana. While the London and New York Police forces share a tremendous amount of history and even share the same method of securing their city. What was made clear by this research paper is that police departments across the world share the same mission objectives, that of securing their jurisdiction and protecting the citizens of the city using their constitutionally mandated powers. Police forces also undergo various incarnations over time as the need for a revised police system in the community becomes necessary. However, regardless of the evolution of the police department and the problems that may beset it in terms of enforcing the community laws, the one constant is the mission objective of the police force, that of protecting the community and preventing the emergence of crimes -- be it violent or not in nature within their society. The aforementioned police departments are part of twhat makes the city that they patrol one of the safest and most unique places to visit in the world. That is because the police force of these countries have become tourist attractions themselves in some instances. Further proving that the police force functions in far more than just a peace-keeping capacity when the need arises. These brave men and women place their lives on the line whenever called upon as well. All of these police officers place the safety of their community above the love for one's self which I find to be quite touching and worthy of emulation. Works Cited “An Garda Siochana”. garda.ie.garda.ie. 2013. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. “British Police”. Project Britain: British Life and Culture.kent.sch.uk. n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2013. “City of London Police”. police.uk. police.uk. 27 Apr. 2012. eb. 3 Dec. 2013. “NYPD”. nyc.gov.nyc.gov. 2013. Web. 29 Nov. 2013. “Total Policing”. Metropolitan Police. police.uk. n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. Read More