Policing - Role, Function, and Public Expectation - Essay Example

Policing - Role, Function, and Public Expectation Introduction The issue for policing in a society which itself has seen ever increasing problems and challenges is how well, as a professional occupation, it meets its goals. Law enforcement must have a firm understanding of its role, its precise function, and exactly what is expected as public agents. Examining information factual, political and social, this paper analyses these issues within the context of the history of policing, current policing efforts and how well, if at all, they meet public expectations. Brief History Borrowing substantially from a summary presented on Wikipedia (2010), an outline of the history of policing in the U.K begins in the 1700s when law enforcement among the general population in England was carried out by volunteer constables and watchman, aided by the British armed forces in times of serious public disturbance. The force was unorganised and lacked criminal investigation capability. Seeing this, the novelist Henry Fielding [a Magistrate] introduced the first detective force known as the Bow Street Runners in 1753, named after Fielding's house address which “had been established as a courtroom by the previous owner, Sir Thomas de Veil in 1739” (Wikipedia, 2010). Eight Constables under Fielding enforced laws and investigated crimes brought to the fore by volunteers [a practice ongoing today]. In 1805 a Foot and Horse Patrol, the first form of uniformed policing seen in the capital [precursors of the current bobbies] was formed and by 1839 the force had grown and evolved into the concept of the Metropolitan Police of today. Police: The Social Function Stevens (2005) in his syllabus for class, Justice: Police in Society, lists a set of ideal functions as identified by Goldstein (1977, Policing a Free Society): To prevent and control conduct widely recognized as threatening to life and property; to aid individuals who are in danger of physical harm, such as the victims of violent attack; to facilitate the movement of people and vehicles; to assist those who cannot care for themselves, the intoxicated, the addicted, the mentally ill, the physically disables, the old, and the young; to resolve conflict, whether it be between individuals, groups or individuals, or individuals and their government; to identify problems that have the potential for becoming more serious problems; to create and maintain a feeling of security in communities.(Syllabus, para.2) As a sociologist it is no wonder that many of many of Goldstein’s assertions are clearly based on the police as social instruments, whose function is associated with the public good. While the public today still associate policing with serving the public and supporting the public good, ideas in the past and today about what policing is and what it ought to be, differ. Stevens (2005) writes, “Policing is one of those few lines of work, like teaching and medicine, which have intimate connections with social life, social progress, and social change. (Syllabus, para. 1) Police Role: A Matter of Perspective The role of the police today is to maintain public order. The obvious problems with such a charge relates to individual civil rights and how the police themselves perceive their mission. From the police perspective (Joyner, no date) offers an interesting view. He takes issue with the often cited police mission, to ‘protect and serve,’ which in his view distorts public opinion as to what role actually the police play in today’s violent society. “Fostered by the TV image of the LAPD [Los Angeles Police Department] cars with ‘To Protect and Serve’ stenciled on the fenders, and the general mis-conception that that’s what we do, the general public needs to wake up” (Joyner, no date). While Joyner goes along with the notion that police provide a service he denies its prime role as protector, one citizens often cite as primary. “As a citizen, I’ll take the service that’s appropriate.  As a law enforcement officer, I’ll provide the service that’s appropriate.  But as both a citizen and an officer, I’ll see to my own protection, as should each and every citizen of this country” (Joyner, no date). Questioning Joyner’s view, (Fielding, 1995) found the police in the community he researched as accepting both roles as equally important, stating that it was ... “avowedly directed to crime control as well as social service”. (p. 127) This comparison is valid given that Joyner also polices small communities in Missouri. The difference in perception between Joyner and Fielding accent the deep divisions that occur not only in police departments themselves but undoubtedly the perception of the people they police. Research by Waddington (1999) takes the discussion into a very personal dimension as he relates the attitudes of two Chicago patrolman. “The attitudes of the two men were ...typical of their respective roles and [in relationship to their] experience: Al was enthusiastic at the prospect of getting out on the street [anticipating his social role within the community]... Pete was more laconic and not a little cynical—his was a job to be done and a period to survive” (p. 1). The Role of Crime Fighting: Myth or Reality? If ordinary citizens and indeed many law enforcement professionals are asked they will normally say that crime fighting is part of policing. “The obvious answer is that the police enforce the law and by so doing ensure that the ‘bad guys’ get their just desserts and the rest of us remain safe in our beds” (Waddington 2009:4). Waddington disputes this notion on the basis that police, for instance, often use discretion as to whether to arrest or ignore a person breaking the law. A (1996) British Government white paper supports Waddington’s exception to the rule. “In a typical day, only 18 per cent of calls to the police are about crime and only about 40 per cent of police officers’ time is spent dealing directly with crime” [a statistic that reinforces its social function and the notion and role of ‘harm reduction’]. Separating crime fighting from the principle of harm reduction, an anonymous white paper declares: Whilst traditionally police have had a fundamental role in supply reduction, their is a growing awareness that because of the special position that they are in, police can actively participate and support demand and harm reduction strategies. (Anonymous, PDF, What is the police role...para. 1) Community Policing: In Theory and Practice “Community policing initiatives proliferated in the 1980s, though available evidence suggests many were of very limited if any impact” (McGuire et al, 2007:929). Failures in planning and implementation are blamed, along with the difficulties inherent in dealing with ethnic communities which tend to be insular and non-trusting of outside authority. Politics, as always, plays its role. “...aggressive police patrol tactics were a stumbling block when politicians began extolling the virtues of ‘zero tolerance’ policing...” (McGuire et al, 2007:929). In this instance, then, we have the police acting in a supportive social role that necessarily bleeds into harm reduction and crime fighting. Depending on the individual community member, they can then be perceived as serving and preserving public order and/or as persecuting certain members. This often much maligned and misunderstood concept [community policing] has been studied from many perspectives with mixed results. Residents of neighborhoods often criticize efforts because the action does not meet their particular needs as they see them, making it difficult for law enforcement to formulate policy. As an important presence within community, its function includes many areas of policing and its success may well depend upon as many variables. As Fielding (1995) quoting Weatheritt found, “Community policing...is not a single concept” but can apply to several policing goals including increased arrests, prevention of crime opportunities or the diminishments of crime rates in a particular area. (p. 25) Citing Banton (1964 & 1974), Fielding draws an interesting distinction between neighborhoods regarding public perception of the success or failure of a community policing effort. The police role in the community seems fairly straightforward where the 'community' comprises a mainly contented and homogenous group... Where communities are heterogeneous, with no dominant group, and cross-cutting divisions make for high diversity, the police role is more precarious. (Fielding, 1995: vii) According to (McGuire et al, 2007) the best way for community policing to succeed is to “...work for and with local communities and downplay the extent to which policing is a set of activities imposed upon communities” (p. 929). Effective policing then requires an interdependence with the community. But there is a large difference in approach between those policing in rural areas and those responsible for keeping the peace in large cities with all of its concomitant issues: ethnic gangs; drugs and other social realities that present. As one might imagine, such activities as gang policing can produce within the population of a community mixed feelings. Some may see as protecting the community from violence, others, connected with gang members through friendship or family ties may see it as a persecutory activity or even a civil liberties issue. Weisel and Shelley (2004) found “In many ways the increased number of gang units appeared inherently in conflict with the move to community- and problem-oriented policing...(Abstract). The study, heavy with statistics, suggest failings in community policing in relationship to gang related activity, suggesting that “police have not come far enough in adopting practices that... reducing [reduce] specific problems” (Weisel and Shelley, 2004:Conclusion)—a result that must displease a majority of the community population and instill within it the idea that in this respect, at least, the police have not met their expectations. Despite claims and hyper analysis to the contrary, Stephens (2005) found that in general, the concept of community policing has been successful, at least from the perspective of law enforcement, and credits community-oriented policing for the downward trend in street crime that began in 1994. “This approach has worked well where it has been implemented, especially when combined with modern research techniques, such as psychological profiling, and technologies” (p. 52). Rural v. City Policing Expectations The issue and complexity of achieving successful social interaction within large and smaller communities is explored by Cain (1972). “A country policeman must be a jack of all trades...” dealing with everything from “stray dogs through outbreaks of...swine fever to traffic offenses, crime, natural disasters...” (p. 29). Cain’s studies indicate more than half of the crimes committed in rural areas are dealt with by patrolman, a fact very different from city crimes which normally and naturally must involve higher ups in the policing chain. This fact alone presents a myriad of complex issues for policing cities over rural areas and must, in fact, change the nature of policing, especially on the local or community level. An officer with a small number of familiar residents has an obvious advantage over another who not only has hundreds of residents to deal with, but in many instances neighborhoods where residents are forever changing, relocating, replace by others unfamiliar with the policemen on the beat and thus less likely to cooperate in law enforcement efforts. Public Perception: A Dependent Variable It is interesting to look at how role and function has evolved over time into a limited perception that may hinder police work, particularly in communities where the notion of undesirables versus the rest of neighborhoods at large exists among both the community and the force. Quoting Bittner and Shearing respectively, Jones and Newburn (1998) write “the very term 'police' has come to be associated with members of a 'government constabulary' with a special legal status” [which has been] reinforced by the assumption that the key feature distinguishing policing from other activities is the capacity to apply the 'legitimate use of force'” (p. 1). The concept of the police having a monopoly on violence is nothing new and is predominant in the law and political philosophy. Legitimate use of force as the role and to a great extent its expectation by the policed public has proved both a positive and negative perception, depending upon which end of the law one finds themselves. The Future of Policing It is safe to assume then the role of policing in future will certainly take on new dimensions. Police, too, must adjust to their new and expanded roles. Stephens (2005) writes that police in future will be better educated, have better people skills and be intimately familiar with the latest technology—all “crucial to successful policing in the future. (cover copy). He goes further in predicting that “Future policing...will depend on the type of society being policed—the social, economic and political realities...” (p.52), conditions beyond the control of police. In assessing all of the information presented it appears that policing, its role, function and perception thereof by the public at large is often blurred and reliant on preconceived notions of what is expected--what Fielding (1995) refers to as “confusion of purposes engendered by the breadth of the police mandate” (p. vii). Yet certain commonalities and expectations do exist. (Waddington, 1999) argues, “When Banton (1964) compared the police in Edinburgh in Scotland with a police department in North Carolina it was the similarities between them that allowed him to discuss generally what policing entailed. We need to keep this consistency across apparently diverse conditions firmly in mind lest we slide into parochial and particular explanations for why policing takes the form it does” (p. 5). Yet it is undoubtedly true and obvious that policing itself has taken its own unexpected turn in a century when private security [policing] has become the vogue if not an international movement, a “growing focus on bodies other than those traditionally viewed as 'the police' [which] has affected the sociology of policing” (Jones and Newburn, 1998 p.28), i.e., such private security companies etc. Since many corporations and other entities are leaning toward private security to protect their interests, the role of the police in the maintenance of law and order could become diminished or at the least “blurred” as Fielding (1995) might contend. Conclusion A discussion of how and why policing in the new century has and will continue to change is relevant and intrinsic to conclusions drawn regarding how police, their roles and functions must assuredly change as well as the expectations of the public they serve. This is precisely what Ian Blair may have been referring to in Policing Controversy, a book written in response to the following: “Ian Blair’s tenure as commissioner of Scotland Yard was the most controversial in the modern era of policing...he [Blair] became the first commissioner in more than a century to be ousted from office” (guardian.co.uk 2009). As anyone today involved in law enforcement knows, keeping the public peace in the face of public scrutiny is a difficult and at times thankless task. As for Blair, the most obvious and immediate subject for any study on the difficulties of policing, the challenges he faced in office were daunting. In his memoire [guardian.co.uk 2009 reports] Policing Controversy, Blair (2009) talks about terrorist attacks that caused mass murder on London's streets, his officers killing an innocent man, a force in need of modernisation, an unprecedented political furore around policing, and a never-ending news cycle [magnifying and distorting issues before the public. Charges of racism, narcissism and failure to communicate were also leveled, charges that if true certainly diminished overall police effectiveness. It seems certainly true, as Cain (1973) contends, that views on policing and the role of the police may be very different, depending upon who is making the judgment. “...formal definitions are probably more relevant for senior officers...then to the man on the beat who is subject to a whole different set of pressures (p. 239). Bibliography Anonymous PDF. Frequently Asked Questions About Harm Reduction. What is the Police Role in Harm Reduction? http://www.burnet.edu.au/freestyler/gui/media/FAQs%20by%20Police%20About%20HR.pdf Blair, Ian. (2009) Policing Controversy. London: Profile Books Ltd. British Government White Paper (1996); (Home Office 1993: para 2.3). Cain, Maureen E. (1973) Society and the Policeman’s Role. International Library of Sociology. Edited by John Rex. http://books.google.com/books?id=7NYOAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=society+and+the+policeman's+role&source=bl&ots=O-4Ecj9OcA&sig=v0s8bkuSUZGfWZxdRLPa5YRnwUk&hl=en&ei=wsxRS7T3LsGUtgel3IEf&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=&f=false Fielding. N. (1995) Community Policing. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Questia Media America, Inc. www.questia.com Jones, T. and Newburn, T. (1998) Private Security and Public Policing. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Questia Media America, Inc. www.questia.com Joyner, F. Protect and Serve? http://www.2ampd.net/Articles/Joyner/protect_and_serve.htm McGuire, M., Morgan, R. and Reiner, R. (eds). (2007) The Oxford Handbook of Criminology, 4th edition 2007. Oxford: Oxford University Press. http://books.google.com/books?id=3fl-kyIWBkoC&pg=PT945&dq=UK+community+policing&cd=2#v=onepage&q=UK%20community%20policing&f=false One News Page: Web Site. (Saturday 5 December 2009) Policing Controversy by Ian Blair—Book Review. Reported by guardian.co.uk. http://www.onenewspage.com/news/UK/20091205/6421955/Policing-Controversy-by-Ian-Blair-Book-review.htm Stephens, G. “Policing the Future: Law Enforcement’s New Challenges” The Futurist March-April 2005:51-57. http://www.policefuturists.org/pdf/M-A2005Futurist_Stephens.pdf Stevens, M. (2005). “The Role of Police in Society” Syllabus: Justice 205. http://faculty.ncwc.edu/Mstevens/205/205lect01.htm The Official History of the Metropolitan Police. Metropolitan Police, UK. http://www.met.police.uk/history/175anniversarybook.htm Waddington, P.A.J (1999) Policing Citizens: Authority and Rights. London: UCL Press. Questia Media America, Inc. www.questia.com Weisel D.L. and Shelly, T.O. (2004) Specialized Gang Units: Form and Function in Community Policing. Report submitted: National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/207204.pdf Wikipedia. (2010) History of the Metropolitan Police Service. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Metropolitan_Police_Service Read More