Criminal Justice / Police & Community Relations - Research Paper Example

Community policing Community policing Security is one of the fundamental needs of a person and by extension the society. Therefore, maintaining security within a community is very vital, to allow the community members undertake their activities without any hindrances, while interacting freely in the neighborhoods (Martin, 2009). Community policing requires that the community is integrated in the whole security strategy, and it is accountable for any crime that takes in its neighborhoods. This theme is advanced based on the realization that the community knows which people within that community are a threat to peace and who are likely to cause or commit criminal activities, which will jeopardize the security status of the community.

The evolution of community policing can be traced back in the 1960s. During this time, there was not a lot of exposure on the police activities and services to the public (Martin, 2009). The police department was closed to the outside world, and only those who were within the forces could understand their operational policies. However, this has changed with time, and come 1970s, the police forces started opening up to the society, as the crime rates and violence kept rising, calling for new strategies to address these vices.

It was then that the integration of the police with the community, to work hand in hand became relevant (Martin, 2009). In the modern day, the police operations are incorporated within each community’s structure, creating a reporting and response system that afford any crime or act of violence in a community be addressed quickly, to foster peaceful co-existence of people in the communities.Since crime and insecurity serves to create fear and mistrust within a society, community policing is the best vehicle to address this, since it requires that all community members participate in this noble course through keeping vigil, reporting and apprehending offenders and criminals within their community (Martin, 2009).

Since community policing is a blending of ethical, morality and legal fronts in cubing crime, it is more effective than any other form of policing that has the legal backing only. The community involved is both morally and ethically responsible for maintaining security within their neighborhoods. To be successful, community policing requires a complete integration of the police culture with that of the communities. This will serve to eliminate any areas of conflict, and ensure that the community fully backs the police operations to root out crime and disorder within its neighborhood (Martin, 2009).

When not addressed, community crime can disintegrate the whole society, through the creation of suspicions and distrusts among the community residents (Martin, 2009). Since crime and disorder is aggravated by lack of opportunities enough for the members of the community to become productive, community policing is meant to address such drawbacks, by providing their members, and mostly the youths an opportunity to participate in more economically beneficial activities as opposed to having them idle, a fact that encourages them to indulge in drug abuse, violence and crime (Martin, 2009).

Further, community policing calls not only for a report and response system, but also for the creation of an environment where crime, Lawlessness and disorder cannot thrive. This calls for the installation of street lights and clearance of all dens and other areas that criminals can make their hideouts. Communication, togetherness and positive community will are the fundamentals of community policing. It can only succeed, if all the members of the community are committed t having it succeed.

The positive contribution of each community member is the recipe for effective community policing and crime prevention in the neighborhoods (Martin, 2009)Work CitedMartin, I. (2009). Policing Uncertainty: Countering Terror through Community Intelligence and Democratic Policing. American Academy of Political and Social Science. Sage Publications, In.