Community Policing in Comparative Perspective

Community (oriented) policing has become one of the most popular models of policing worldwide. After its initial implementation in many Western countries, community policing has also been transferred to transitional societies, which often lack strong democratic traditions. The international diffusion of community policing should not make us forget that community policing comes in all shapes and sizes and is highly varied in its operations. After having defined the concept and analyzed its rise in Anglo-American countries, this diversity is illustrated by scrutinizing its implementation in different national configurations: a continental European country relatively open to Anglo-American influences (the Netherlands), socially homogeneous countries with a high level of trust in the police (the Nordic countries), a centralized country with an administrative Napoleonic tradition (France), and postconflict societies (South Africa and Northern Ireland). These various national trajectories highlight the common drivers and barriers in community policing reforms: political priorities (through emphasizing crime fighting or zero tolerance policing), socioeconomic disparities and ethnic tensions (which may imply a history of mistrust and vicious circles between the police and some segments of the public), professional identities and interests (disqualifying community police officers as “social workers”), and organizational resources (managerial procedures, lack of training and human resources) that may hinder the reform process. These diverse experiences also draw attention to the variety of context-dependent factors that impact the fate of community policing reforms. Political climates, police–government relations, socioeconomic inequalities, and police traditions may differ, which requires further analysis of the various political, historical, socioeconomic, and cultural contexts of specific community policing reforms.

Institutional incentives and community policing

Most American police departments claim to practice community-oriented policing (COP). The stated goals are to build partnerships between the police and the community, maintain order and quality of life, and solve problems that contribute to crime and fear of crime. However, researchers have noted how most departments attempting to implement COP have fallen short in successfully adopting the recommended reforms. This paper argues that the institutional setting in which American public policing operates leads to this result. By contrast, the institutional features of private security make its operation more conducive to achieving the goals of COP. These institutional differences include whether economic calculation is possible, the domain that is policed, and which rules are enforced.

Komunikasi Sosial bagi Kepolisian melalui Media Video Instruksional

Komunikasi sosial di lembaga kepolisian merupakan hal penting untuk mengembangkan community-oriented policing (COP). Komunikasi sosial ini dapat menjadi jembatan komunikasi antara kepolisian dengan masyarakat untuk tujuan integrasi atau adaptasi sosial. Untuk tujuan inilah maka dilakukan pengabdian masyarakat di Pusdik Binmas Lemdiklat Polri dalam bentuk pembuatan video instruksional fungsi Binmas di masyarakat. Diharapkan dengan adanya video instruksional ini, dapat memberikan gambaran kepada kepolisian tentang sinergitas antara kepolisian dan masyarakat. Metode yang digunakan dalam pengabdian ini dilakukan melalui kegiatan pra produksi, produksi dan pasca produksi. Hasil dari pengabdian masyarakat yakni terdapat delapan video instruksional untuk digunakan di Pusdik Binmas Lemdiklat Polri.

Improving Police-Community Relations in the USA

To prevent and control crime using the community-oriented policing model, law enforcement agencies must develop positive relationships and partnerships with the communities they serve. Unfortunately, several obstacles impede the development and maintenance of police-community partnerships, particularly excessive force and other forms of misconduct, and negative coverage of law enforcement by the media. To restore public trust in the police, agencies must implement competency-based interviews and assessments during the hiring process; develop a recruitment plan to attract more diverse applicants; provide regular crisis intervention, de-escalation, and implicit bias training to all officers; and evaluate and make any necessary improvements to existing use-of-force and disciplinary policies. Future research should continue to evaluate the impact of community policing on crime rates, the impact of body-worn cameras on misconduct, and the correlation between higher education and misconduct.