Question

What is community policing? How does it differ from what some might call traditional policing? Does community policing offer an opportunity to improve policing services in the United States? Why or why not? Does it offer opportunities in the fight against terrorism? Why or why not?

Answer 1

Community-oriented policing involves officers working in collaboration with the local communities to help solve problems and to attack the root cause of core problems. Compared to this is the traditional police patrolling where the police staff exerts a position of authority over members of the community, and is solely responsible for keeping the law and order and peace intact. In community policing, the police Officers are less authoritative and they practice a greater reliance on citizen cooperation to get the job done. In addition, community policing involves the police to change the social conditions within the community which would help ensure greater safety within the community. Thus, officers might assume responsibility for moving the homeless off the streets and perhaps into shelters. In this way, they rectify some of the social problems which result in crimes, with the cooperation and assistance of the public. Thus, community policing allows police personnel to build a stronger relation within the community by giving the community an opportunity to see how the law and order machinery operates in their favour and further create awareness about public responsibility in maintaining vigilance and make the neighbourhoods secure.