Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Police-community relation is the sum total of all dealings of the police with the
people it serves and those goodwill and cooperation it craves for to insure the greatest
These means that police-community relation covers the entire field of public
information designed to bridge any communication gap between the police and the
public. It also intends to maintain harmony and mutual support between the police and
community development and insure and facilitate the attainment of police objectives by
the police and community, the ultimate objective of the PCR is to influence the opinions,
emotions, attitudes and behavior of the public so that they will behave in a manner
beneficial to the police and to solicit public support in order to make it easier for them to
Community partnership
The collaborations are beneficial to both the police and the community. One of
the most important reasons for law enforcement agencies to form alliances with
community organizations is to attempt to reduce crime and improve quality of life for
citizens are considered "co-producers of public safety" (p.570). These collaborations, she
states, are designed to develop the community as a partner against criminal activity
(pp.565-566).
crime mapping helps agencies identify and analyze problems which can lead to long term
solutions (Hickman & Reaves, 2001, p.9). Regional data sharing partnerships tend to
work better when there is a common goal beyond sharing data such as solving a specific,
local crime problem. In order to be effective, technology such as GIS mapping systems
agreement between the law enforcement and public agencies involved in data sharing
Because regional data sharing across jurisdictions can be met with obstacles, it is often
more productive to concentrate only on partnerships within one jurisdiction to solve local
important to the success of any community policing program and the public’s willingness
to cooperate is evident by the amount of information citizens are giving police officers
regarding crimes occurring within their neighborhoods (Wells, Schafer, Varano, &
Bynum, 2006, p.525). Wehrman & DeAngelis (2011), suggest the underlying goals of
build stronger relationships with their communities. This can be done through gaining
residents’ confidence in the police, which will in turn create more willingness to work
Community service
These are activities whereby police engage in pro-social activities to enhance the
well-being of the community beyond law enforcement and order maintenance. Police are
obliged to provide a policing service which has to be efficient and effective often referred
(2006). There must be equity in service delivery‟. This means a principle in the delivery
of police service recognizes that all citizens will have to receive effective police service,
regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, religious beliefs, income, sexual preferences, and
sacrificing your needs for someone else, but rather in consideration of needs that are
include rather than to exclude. It is the awareness of and respect for diversity, individual
The police should serve the community by ensuring that police activities were
driven by responding to the needs and desires of the community, rather than the interests
of police managers; developing closer relations with the public would restore popular
support for the police; Improve public relations would also have the effect of improving
the police’s ability to control crime, as it would improve the flow of local intelligence
constitutive of one of the key trends in reconfiguration of the social control apparatus,
whereby the engagement of community has been promoted as a key mechanism for the
According to this contention, with the police no longer the sole guardians of law
and order, all members of the community would have to become active allies in the effort
policing ideological framework requires focusing on issues of crime and social disorder
through the delivery of police services. This includes aspects of traditional law
partnerships (U.S Department of Justice, 2008:1). The strategy calls for a police-
community safety.
Community policing
actively and develop meaningful relationships with the people they serve. These
relationships help cultivate trust and understanding between the police and the
community, making possible more effective law enforcement responses to crime and
other public safety concerns. Community policing is effective when agencies work in
partnership with the people whose neighborhoods they work (Yasso & Shah, 2012, p. 1).
Hunter (2010) pointed out that the term “police-community relations” has often
been ambiguously defined in empirical research, yet it is frequently used in the literature.
those that are (a) continuous and not constant and (b) multifaceted, including both the
In the past, the community’s involvement in law enforcement efforts has been
limited. However, many policing agencies are learning that community members can be a
valuable source of support and information. Citizens can provide the police with insight
into the specific crime problems occurring within their neighborhoods and aid officers in
their investigations. The collaborations are beneficial to both the police and the