Community policing

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Community policing is a political philosophy in which the police and police department are seen as members of the community, with police officers being part of where they live and work. Cities and counties that subscribe to this philosophy tend to do much more community work than traditional police departments. This often includes having more police officers who "walk the beat" as opposed to driving around in police cars. The basic idea is to create bonds of trust and reliance between police and the public.

This approach requires officers to be open minded, unbiased, and sensitive to the concerns and problems of others; also known as the new policing paradigm. Even if officers do not agree with a complainant's viewpoint, they should try to listen and understand the problem. Police should display empathy and compassion with sincerity, not in a rehearsed way. Police must also develop skill in planning, problem solving, organization, interpersonal communications, and perhaps most importantly critical thinking.

At the heart of the police transition to community policing is the question: "How do the police identify and deliver high-quality services to the community?" In the past, the delivery of police services was accomplished in a reactive and unscientific manner, with little attention given to proactive policing. Today, the efficient delivery of police services requires a systematic process to 1) assess the needs of the public and 2) translate those needs into police services and programs that can be efficiently and effectively delivered to the community. In this way, police are becoming more sensitive to the needs of the community. They also have a better understanding of how their work affects the social environment.

COMMUNITY POLICING EXPERIMENTS /OUTREACH

PROGRAMMES IN INDIA

Over the past few years, CHRI’s police unit under access to justice programme has been collecting and compiling experiments on Community Policing and Outreach Programmes in the different states of India . In an attempt to bring a holistic picture of community policing initiatives throughout India , the unit seeks to update this section regularly and anybody interested to share/wanting to contribute to this section, can contact Doel Mukerjee at doel@humanrightsinitiative.org.

1. Community Policing: Friends Of Police, Tamil Nadu

The Friends Of Police is a holistic and pro-active concept that lends a psychological approach to policing. It is a true example of police public partnership where citizens have been empowered and with the help of the police.

Friends Of Police provides opportunities for ordinary citizens to effectively contribute to the prevention and detection of crime. Any member of the public, male or female who is not involved in civil or criminal case can become a member of FOP. The members of FOP can provide useful information leading to solving of crimes. FOP members can also prevent any abuse of Police power

because of easy accessibility to the station house officer and other senior personnel.

Role of FOP:

· Beats and night Patrols

· Assistance in traffic

· Crime prevention

· Information collection

· Assistance in Law and Order Maintenenance

· Involvement in Prohibition Work.

Friends of Police movement have been found helpful in creating channels for receiving the right information at the right time. It has also helped the police to come closer to the community. It has tried to impart fairness, transparency and impartiality in the working of the police. This system is functioning effectively in all districts of Tamil Nadu over the last five years.