Conflict on the News Report - Essay Example

Law Assignment Introduction The incident which is discussed in this paper is in relation to the news report by Tracy Holmes from Peach Arch News called Officer ‘shot taxi after being struck’. The conflict occurred between a local police officer who opened fire on a taxi that had two passengers including an elderly woman. The officer wanted to stop the taxi to arrest the passengers who had been picked up from a home that was under surveillance for an investigation about drug trafficking. The police offer stopped his vehicle in front of the taxi and activated the emergency lights but the taxi driver instead accelerated the car and the police officer fell on the hood of the taxi. The driver continued to drive and the officer discharged his firearm to which the driver stopped and the officer fell off the hood. The taxi driver was taken to the ground and handcuffed (Holmes, 2015). A severe action was taken against the police officer and the driver filed a civil case for the recovery of the damages that he suffered. He suffered injuries on his cheek, left elbow, and rib-cage, had a bleeding nose and mouth, and also filed for the loss of future income and general damages. The driver was released a while later and there was an independent investigation to be carried out in order to find out details about the incident (Lawrence, 2014). Actions were to be taken after the investigation reports had been given out by the Coquitlam RCMP’s Serious Crime Unit. The investigation gave its findings one year later stating that there were no charges against any of the parties. The authorities held that the police officers were acting only in the course of their duties and rights as members of RCMP. The police officers had those powers as peace officers and provincial constables. The response also concluded that if there were damaged caused to the driver, it was due to his role in failing to listen to the police officer and assaulting a peace officer. The investigation reported that the police officers opened fire on the driver after being struck by the car. The civil claim was filed against the officer about a year later and the court held that the police officer merely acted in self defense (Holmes, 2015). The three problem solving methods namely SARA, CAPRA and PARE are used by authorities in order to solve conflicts. The SARA model stands for scanning, analysis, response, assessment which could have been used in this situation as the situation had to be scanned, analyzed, responses would be collected, and then the assessment of the action taken would take place. However, this model was not used. The PARE model stands for problem identification, analysis, strategic response, and evaluation (Thurman, 2014). This model was also not used in this situation. The model which was used was CAPRA which stands for client, acquire and analyze information, partnerships, response, and assessment of action taken. The CAPRA model was used in this situation and it was well effective as it revealed the responses and facts of the incident as they occurred. The problem had occurred and at that particular moment the police was accused for firing at the taxi and causing injuries and damages to the driver while the driver was accused of failing to follow police instructions and assaulting a police officer (Holmes, 2015). This model is used by the community police in order to develop and maintain partnerships and build up trust within the communities and employees for better service delivery and problem solving procedures. It also helps in understanding the perspectives of the clients over the conflicts and helps in establishing partnerships and high quality service delivery. This model encourages continuous improvement as ongoing feedback is taken. The CAPRA model is an operational model that allows the authorities to exercise service, prevention, protection, and enforcement (Thurman, 2014). It is considered as more than just a problem solving tool. As the model is used by the police in this case, it helped them to consult with their partners and clients to enhance the problem solving model. The partners include organizations or institutions such as the independent investigators in this conflict that assisted the police authorities throughout the conflict to collect responses. By using partnership approaches, the authorities are able to understand the clients’ needs which are the witnesses, community groups, or experts (Thurman, 2014). The partnerships are an important factor in this model which is used in this conflict as well. The partnership with the investigation group leaded to the collection and analysis of data. The investigation group is an essential tool in this case as they are professionals with communication and evaluation skills through which they can analyze the roles of the police officers and nature of conflict. They find the facts from both the parties and conclude through the mutually agreed upon facts (Thurman, 2014). The responses collected by the investigator from the taxi driver, police officer, passengers, other officers, and witnesses were helpful for the court as well to determine the facts of the case and whether there is a civil claim for either party or not. The assessment of actions taken is considered to ensure that the service delivery in future is not affected, there are opportunities for prevention, and possible areas of improvement are ensured. The clients include the taxi driver must be satisfied with the priorities of the police and the future service delivery. Thus, the CAPRA model is used in this conflict to solve the problem and enhance the service delivery of the community police officers. CAPRA does not only ensure that the problem is solved but also works for the future prevention and protection from such conflicts which hinder the efficient service delivery. The partners used in this model are experts who communicate and evaluate the facts and responses to conclude the actual happenings. With the findings of the independent investigator in this case, it was held that the police officers were performing under their duties and the opened fire was merely due to self defense. References Holmes T. (2015). Officer ‘shot taxi after being struck’. Peach Ark News Lawrence J. (2014). White Rock Mountie fires shot at cab during drug bust. CTV Vancouver Thurman Q. (2014). Police Problem Solving. Routledge Read More