The New Nation - Internet Edition

Razzak Raza

Since the inception of London Metropolitan Police in 1829 by Sir Robert Peel, the history of policing experienced several new approaches. But, perhaps, "the most important development and the most creative approach is the community policing". Though the concept of community policing began taking roots at 1970's, but it drew the global attention in 1990's when the U,S. Department of Justice (DOJ), established the office of the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) in 1994 to render federal assistance for community policing approaches to the states and regional police departments .

Community policing programs take many different forms. Some emphasizes disorder and quality-of-life issues, while other focus on serious crime. Some primarily address drug-related crime. So, it is fairly difficult to define the community policing in a single sentence. The Community Oriented Policing Services defines community policing as "a policing philosophy that promotes and supports organizational strategies to address the causes and reduce the fear of crime and social disorder through problem solving tactics and police community partnership.

In a community policing approach the police need to work closely with the public as one of the partners of the community. This philosophy opposes the "inward-looking bureaucracy" that is traditionally common across the globe. The basic idea behind the community policing is that it tries to establish a rapport of trust and a sort of reliance between the police and the public.

It is the debating issue that who masterminded the idea of community policing. Some believe Tom Porter, the former police chief of Portland, Oregon (USA) developed the philosophy while he was walking the beat as a young police officer, though others, credit sir Robert Peel, who came up with 9 principles of policing that formed the basis of modern policing.

It is true that Sir Robert Peel founded the base-stone of modern policing. His famous nine points are the basic guidelines for every police department. His 7th point states, "police, at all time, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives the reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence."

Though community partnership is an essential characteristic of Robert Peel's nine points, he did not clarify that developing the quality of citizen's lives would be his central theme. His standard of evaluating police performance was "absence of crime and disorder". The 1st point, so, describes, "The basic mission for which the police exist is prevent crime and disorder".

However, the debate of determining the muster minder of community policing philosophy would be endless. But it is true that the base of American approach of community policing lies on Tom Porter's philosophy. In 1972 the Portland Police Department, under the leadership of Tom Porter started the journey of community policing. This idea was adopted by the other police departments of the United States of America. And in 1990's this got the USA federal guardianship. In 1994, in the USA, 'the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act' was passed both in the House and in the senate, authorizing 8.8 billion dollars expenditure over six years. The office of COPS was created to distribute and monitor the funds. The COPS project has extended beyond its stipulated time. It disbursed fund to the states and regional police departments who adapted the philosophy of community policing. Under the COPS project thousands of new police officers were recruited, training centers were setup to impart necessary training to the existing and the newly recruit ed police officers who would work as community police officers. The then president Bill Clinton during his campaign for the second term election, promised his voters to allocate additional funds for COPS and a new recruitment of 100,000 new police officers for community policing activities.

The philosophy and practice of community policing of the USA has diffused worldwide. The semi-military top-down and inward looking police bureaucracy has started to decentralize the decision making authority to root level officers and the police are changing their garments of law enforcers putting on the jacket of problem solvers.

The Bangladesh police have been experimenting with the philosophy of community policing for ages. But no effective strategies have yet been followed. The Police Reform Program (PRP) has been working for massive reform in the police system of Bangladesh. However, its focus is in the structural and attitudinal change of the countries colonial police set up. The idea of community policing might be addressed later on. But some of the police bosses are very much enthusiastic on community policing activities.

Earlier, in Bangladesh, community policing was viewed as an act of organizing community members of the crime affected locality to perform night patrol along with police. Owner groups of the huts, bazaars and business institutions are encouraged to form patrol committee to perform night patrol on shifts. Some dacoity prone rural areas also came under the night patrol style community policing.

This style of community policing are practiced under the patronization and directives of the Officers-in-Charge of the local police stations. The performance of an Officer-in-Charge of a police station is evaluated mainly upon his effective control over crime against property. A dacoity is considered more grievous an offence than the murder of few people due to personal or gang enmity. So, the Officer-in-Charge of a police station tries heart and soul to deter dacoity. To make his jurisdiction free of dacoity, he would force the community members of the dacoity-infested area on the street for patrol. But the other forms of crimes remain un-addressed. Patrolling in the night cannot remove the causes of crimes.

In the traditional strategy of crime control, police never address the roots of criminal activities. And, at the same time it is also true that the police have no mechanism and authority to eliminate the causes of crimes. As community policing is a new philosophy, it demands a positive shift from the traditional policing attitudes. So, the age-old mindset of the police-persons must be changed. But this is perhaps the most difficult task for the organization to change them. Human beings are traditionally conservatives and when they are organized once it is tough to reorganize.

The police department is more conservative than any other organizations. It was believed once that the change of police is impossible. Community policing categorically emphases the sea change in the policing philosophy. It emphasises the change in the organisational, tactical and external elements.

In the organization community policing loose the string of command and control decentralizing the decision making process. The rank and file officers will be given enough leverage to single out community problems, analysis them and find out a solution for it community policing encourages the use of non-law enforcement resources within a law enforcement agency. Volunteerism involves active citizen participation with their law enforcement agency.

Tactically community policing take a proactive and preventive action and address the root causes of crimes and disorders. Police officers, community members and other public and private organizations work together to solve the problems in a community. As community members are viewed as partners by the police, both of them have to shoulder equal responsibilities in problem solving. The prerequisite of implementing community policing is the change in the attitudes of the both police and the public. Therefore training on community policing is needed for the police officers as well as the community members.

In the USA under the COPS project massive training are imparted to the police officers on community policing. There are several Regional Community Policing Training Institutes where police officers, as well as, the community members are being trained. COPS has developed Problem Oriented Guides for Police Series by a group of highly respected researchers.

These COPS publications provide a wealth of information for detectives and patrol officers on current practices and innovations to deal with old and new problems.

In Bangladesh, though community policing has become a buzzing expression now a days, the real phase of community policing is yet to be started. The existing police establishment never encourages the participation of the community in police works.

Bangladesh police, with their present law, rules and regulations is an immensely bureaucratic organization. So, inserting decentralized philosophy of community policing is nearly impossible. To make a room for community participation, Bangladesh Police must change their existing police act. Without changing the existing centralized police structure, community policing can never be practised.

The rank and file officers of Bangladesh police are trained in an academy where not an iota of community policing is taught. The training manual of Bangladesh Police Academy remains unaltered since 1912; and in 1912 the idea of community policing was not formed even in the USA. So, the philosophy of community policing is still a vague expressing to most of the Bangladeshi police officers. Many police officers of Bangladesh police use the word without meaning the real theme. Police officers of subordinate ranks getting involved into community policing web only because, the superior officers want them to do it. But without the whole hearted devotion, community policing will be only the individual boss's idea that will die as soon as the boss departs.

It must be understood that the program of community policing is not a program of only the police department. It is rather, a program of the whole community. So, the community mobilization is one of the major tasks for the community policing advocates. But the fact is that at present the Bangladeshi approach of community policing is exclusively a police activity. Neither the Government nor the non government forces except the police are engaged in community policing.

Special fund is needed to materialize the community policing philosophy. The fund must come from the development budget. Additional police officers as well as non-police experts must be appointed. Bangladesh Police have an acute shortage of human resources. They can hardly perform their routine works with these resources. The community policing program demands extra manpower. So, fresh recruitment of officers, for the implementation community policing program, is needed. However, canceling LPR of the able bodied experienced police persons, the number of officers could be augmented. Besides this retired police officers of commendable quality could be appointed on contract basis in this purpose.

Sources: The police in America.