The Concept of Policing in Canada - Essay Example

Topic: Policing of Aboriginal Communities with Emphasis on Canadian Policing Examples. - Urban and Rural Differences in Policing in Canada and at large to be examined The concept of policing has brought about revolutionary change in perception. Two decades back, traditional system of policing, based on British model was used, in which the main job of the police was to detect and prevent crime and maintain law & order. There was no dialogue with the communities and enmity was central to the relations between the communities and policing bodies. The present community based policing model not only prevents crime but also educates on social aspect of crime. Aboriginal policing is a branch of overall policing structure, based on community policing. In Canada, aboriginal policing came into being a professional, reliable and responsible government body with the introduction of the First Nations Policing Policy (FNPP) in June 1991. The objective of First Nations Policing Policy is to provide aboriginal communities of Canada social security, order and individual safety on the basis of cost-shared funding by federal and provincial governments. It is aboriginal communities choice either to develop their personal police service or opt for a police service provided by a contingent of First Nations officers. The Aboriginal Policing Directorate ensures policing that is answerable to the desires of aboriginal people residing in rural and urban areas. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) – the Canadian national police service has its Aboriginal Policing Branch that prepares culturally alert policing services agreeable to aboriginal people. It takes into confidence aboriginal organizations to come up to their needs and expectations. The RCMP absorbs aboriginal people in its recruitment and plans problem-specific programs relevant to aboriginal communities needs. Some of the programs include RCMP Aboriginal Youth Training Program (AYTP), Community Suicide Intervention Program, and First Nations Community Policing Service (FNCPS). Community Policing Model The Community Policing Model is the result of severe criticism of the traditional model of policing, which was not sufficiently equipped to deal with the issues of aboriginal communities. Now, communities get support from the police in managing their risks. Both work hand-in-hand to solve the crime and law & order problems created by local inhabitants. In the Community Policing Model, the police don’t behave irrationally to cope up with law & order issues; it takes proactive steps to recognize and remedy, to establish peace. The police intervenes in the dialogue process to know the opinion of the community on touchy issues, first by holding general level discussions with the concerned community and later, with other important members of the group and specialist agents who know the whole picture of a crime or dispute – reasons behind its occurrence. It helps the police in initiating a dialogue process to know the hopes and aspirations of the aboriginal community. This dialogue process with the community helps the police in achieving certain important goals such as minimizing the rate of victimization, create a sense of security, and aboriginals feeling satisfied with the performance of the police. This approach also helps the police to be related and authentic. Criticism: Community Policing Model The basic formula of community policing is de-concentrating the force to make officers responsible, encouraging community citizens and workers to come ahead -- providing transparency in the police actions. This de-centralization seems, otherwise a positive step in encouraging police participation in community matters but it also creates doubts in the minds of aboriginal people about the intentions of the police functions and powers. On the pretend of community participation of police officers, the police, under the guise of “community policing” provide stimulation to its already vast, special powers to maintain law & order. After critically judging the delegated powers of the police to control its citizens, it seems, it may misuse them, as aboriginal communities’ faith on its intentions to work for the betterment of the community crosses the limits of doubts because the “concept” of community policing model gets acceptance from aboriginal public. Community policing provides a window to the police to peep into the lives of its people, as it is enforcing law; it also becomes a means of moral check on the people, thus, playing the role of a tutor, defining morality on a subjective level. Urban and Rural Policing Policing standards in urban and rural communities are different not only in Canada but other countries like Australia as well. An increasing number of aboriginal offenders belong to urban areas, compelling challenging policing policies to prevent crime. Most of the Canadian Justice Commissions have recommended Australia’s Anunga rules to be followed at the interrogation and admissibility of statements’ levels of aboriginal criminals. Two major concerns have come up on policing of urban communities. These are ‘over-policing’ of ‘visible’ aboriginal people in urban areas and the ‘under-policing’ of less ‘visible’ violence against aboriginal people, especially violence against aboriginal women in terms of arrest, charging practices and treatment. In this context, there is need to transfer model policing programs from rural to urban areas, as they face neglect in attention to its urban aboriginal communities problems. Aboriginal communities in rural and remote areas are inflicted with illicit drug use. Urban communities are at the receiving ends of being blamed for using the dangerous substances, as they are more susceptible to drug abuse due to factors like fast changes in urban living and further, lack of traditional supports has also multiplied their feelings of loneliness and dislocation among aboriginal people, putting them and their families at greater risks of getting involved in social and economic crimes. Rural areas face poverty, unemployment, poor health, and limited education. They are poor in infrastructure resources; peoples family life is not peaceful and there are quarrels over resources and other such stress features. Rural aboriginal communities don’t have regular employment, good education, and a united family environment and such other security factors that help users to control drug intake and think about their future. Another aspect of aboriginals, both rural and urban, is their different approach of bringing up children, raising family, work habits, time-management, decision making processes and sociality patterns. These culture differences present a negative picture of aboriginals to non-aboriginals as near about criminal attitude. The police need to work with them instead of working against them. These differences pose additional load of work for policing in rural areas. Strategies that work for urban aboriginal communities will not work in remote and rural areas. It is because urban aboriginals are educated and working with them is easy. Rural communities are not involved in organized crime. The general perception of law enforcement officers is to solve disputes and establish peace, as it is assumed that crime is not that pervasive in remote rural population and is not an important issue. For rural and remote policing to be effective in controlling organized crime, certain issues need to be discussed. There is lack of awareness on how to recognize organized criminal activities, as they don’t fit the model of mafia groups racing on motorcycles in rural areas. There is need to define organized crime in rural context by the police officers. The RCMP is deficient in human resources; police officers’ working habits need to be altered according to the challenges coming in the way of information gathering. The national and local priorities of RCMP are different; a rural policing service is just one responsibility of RCMP out of a list of local and regional priorities of its responsibilities. In the opinion of the police officers, both rural and urban, “hands on experience” in knowing rural and urban aboriginal communities is of practical value rather than attending course, lectures, seminars and organizing workshops. The intellectual class finds the solution in “education”. It seems more appropriate that police officers deputed in rural as well as aboriginal communities’ urban areas be given the opportunity to interact and have prior experience with communities before being posted to the aboriginal group of that area. They should not be transferred until there are able officers to replace them. Further, rights of aboriginal people need to be looked after not by nominal exclusionary rules of evidence, particularly in the case of aboriginal youth in custody. Evidence gathered by violating Anunga guidelines needs statutory requirements to be fulfilled. Age-offence comprehension criterion needs to be taken note of, requiring the presence of an impartial adult to be witness to any proof of interview of aboriginal suspects before being taken into custody. These steps would bring about new fields of positive change in the policing of aboriginal communities in Canada. References: Delahunty & Putt. (2006). Australian Institute of Aboriginal Toress Strait Islander Studies. Australian Institute of Criminology: Policing Illicit Drugs in rural and remote Aboriginal and Toress Strait Islander Communities. Retrieved November 5, 2006, from http://www.ndlerf.gov.au/pub/Monograph_15a.pdf. Pearce, Heather-Jean & Tasson. (2000). Community Policing: Name Game or Genuine Reform. Retrieved November 5, 2006, from Carleton University, Law Students Society At Jus in Re Website: http://www.carleton.ca/law/JusInRe/v4/4-5-community.htm Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada. (2004, November). First Nations Policing Policy: Overview. Retrieved November 5, 2006, from http://ww2.psepc-sppcc.gc.ca/abor_policing/fir_nat_policing_e.asp RCMP Aboriginal Policing. Community, Contract and Aboriginal Policing. (2006, October). Retrieved November 5, 2006, from http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ccaps/aborig_e.htm RCMP. Organized Crime in Rural and Remote Canadian Communities – A Study of Police Officers’ Perceptions and Current Actions. (2006, November). Retrieved November 5, 2006, from http://www.rcmp.ca/ccaps/oc_remotecomm_e.htm Samuelson, Les. (2002, October 4). Aboriginal Policing Issues: a comparison of Canada and Australia. Paper submitted to Ministry of Solicitor Genral of Canada. Retrieved November 5, 2006, from http://ww2.psepc-sppcc.gc.ca/publications/abor_policing/Canada-Australia_Comparisson_e.asp Read More