Purposes of police patrol - Research Paper Example

Purposes of police patrol Purposes of police patrol Patrolling is one of the major functions or duties of police. “The major functions of police patrolling are constant movement; prevent crime eliminate opportunity for crime etc” (Police operations, n. d). The preliminary duty of any police force is to give adequate protection to the life and properties of the communities. Patrolling is one way of providing protection to the public. Majority of the crime happens when the criminals know about the absence of any police force on a particular place.

Patrolling enable police force to visit all the places where criminal activities may occur and take necessary precautionary measures. Knowledge about the neighbourhood is the essence of every police patrolling function. “ Knowledge about the physical structure of the neighbourhood, Boundaries and adjoining areas, Alleys, Businesses, Layout of streets, dead end streets, geographical directions” (Patrol Procedures Observation and Reporting, n. d) etc would enhance the patrolling functions very much.

“Foot Patrol, Motorcycle Patrol, Motorized Patrol, Bike Patrol, Horse Patrol, Aircraft Patrol, Watercraft Patrol, Routine Patrol, Directed Patrol, D-Runs, Saturation Patrol, Split Force, Suspect-Oriented Patrol” (Police operations, n. d) etc are some of the most common patrolling programs undertaken by police force. Issues surrounding high speed pursuits to include liability, procedures, and pursuit termination techniques Increased probability of accidents is the major issue in high speed pursuits.

“Research from the 1980s indicates that nationwide property damage occurs in about one of every five pursuits, personal injury in one out of seven, and death in approximately one out of every thirty-five pursuits” (Police Officer Liability In High-Speed Pursuits: A Study Report To The Michigan Law Revision Commission, 1996). Moreover increased rate of law suits against the patrolling officers is another issue associated with high speed pursuits. It should be noted that in high speed pursuits, the possibility of causing damages to the innocent people is more.

Casualties in the form of death and injury can occur to the innocent people while the police officers chase criminals at a high speed using different types of vehicles. “California police chased more than 7,000 drivers in 2003. The chases resulted in 58 deaths, including 18 innocent individuals who werent involved in the pursuit”(Chris, 2005). Police officers causing several damages as part of high speed pursuits may normally escape from punishments since high speed pursuit are part of their job.

Implementation of modern technology is necessary to avoid the risks of high speed pursuits. It is a fact that the chances of accidents are more in every high speed pursuit. At the same time, it is necessary for the police officers to prevent the criminals from escaping. Technology can be used effectively as a pursuit management tool. For example, “controlled deflation devices like spike stripes, blocking techniques etc can be used judiciously to avoid high speed pursuit” (Ashley, 2002, p.2). Conclusions Patrolling is a basic police function intended for giving ample protection to the life and properties of the people.

Patrolling helps to prevent crime before it occurs. High speed pursuits are part of police patrolling which may cause several damages to innocent people. Modern technologies should be used judiciously to avoid high speed patrolling and to capture the culprits. References Ashley, S. (2002). Motor vehicle pursuit, Retrieved from http://www.sashley.com/downloads/articles/motor%20vehicle%20pursuit%20managing%20your%20departments%20risk.pdf Chris T. (2005). Liability for High Speed Chases. Retrieved from http://www.talkleft.com/story/2005/03/07/016/48846 Patrol Procedures Observation and Reporting, (n. d). Retrieved from http://www.bmtcop.org/COPpatrolprocedures.

html Police operations, (n. d), Retrieved from http://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=police%20patrolling%20methods&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBsQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.d.umn.edu%2F~wfleisch%2Fsoc3344%2FLecture%25206%2520Police%2520Operations.ppt&ei=Uk-3Tp_zKoHmrAfu_N3jAw&usg=AFQjCNE8DcrXIJgEoeYEMVJdoKa1OP9nvw Police Officer Liability In High-Speed Pursuits: A Study Report To The Michigan Law Revision Commission, (1996), Retrieved from http://council.legislature.mi.gov/files/mlrc/1996/police.htm