Role of Community Policing in Building Confidence in Minority Communities

I would like to welcome the participants to this Supplementary Human Dimension Implementation Meeting on the Role of Community Policing in Building Confidence in Minority Communities. Indeed, this meeting is an excellent forum to begin implementing the Bucharest Decision Number 9 commitment to increase and promote cooperation among participating States in countering new security challenges, in part, by increasing community policing capacities.

As OSCE participating States strive to address today’s new threats to security, they must still deal with historic problems such as crime, drugs, and violence. It has become clear that governments and law enforcement agencies cannot combat these threats by employing traditional policing methods alone. In response, they have sought new approaches that encourage greater levels of community participation, maximize existing resources, to addresses the causes of these threats to security in a comprehensive way that stretches over the three baskets of the OSCE, while respecting human rights.

Community policing challenges police and civic officials to provide the leadership necessary to address issues facing communities in the 21st century. Community policing is a philosophy, a management style and an organizational strategy that promotes police-community partnerships and problem-solving strategies to address the root causes of crime and fear, the relationship between the community and law enforcement, as well as other community issues. It is a different way of looking at policing. It acknowledges that the whole community is responsible for public safety and security – not just the police. This approach goes beyond surface symptoms in order to develop comprehensive and effective responses – not "quick fix" solutions.

Community policing changes the role of the police from incident-driven law enforcers to problem-solvers and facilitators. Traditional enforcement tactics are not eliminated; rather, the selection of tools officers have to do their jobs is greatly expanded. Community policing is proactive, solution-based and community driven. According to Thomas Frazier, former director of the U.S. Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, community policing occurs when a "law enforcement agency and law abiding citizens work together to do four things: 1) arrest offenders; 2) prevent crime; 3) solve on-going problems; and 4) improve the overall quality of life."

Community policing is not "soft on crime" – it is, in fact, tougher on crime because it is smarter and more creative. Community input serves to focus police activities and strategies. With better information from community members, officers are able to respond more effectively with enforcement activities or other appropriate actions.

The goal of police-community partnerships is to:

1. Reduce drug and other criminal activity in the community;
2. Establish and reinforce anti-drug attitudes, social norms and behaviors;
3. Establish a community-wide network by which common concerns can be effectively addressed; and
4. Enable a community to assume responsibility and take control so that their neighborhoods will not collapse under the burden of social disorder, crime and drugs.

The concept of community policing envisions the role of the police as striving for an absence of crime and disorder. It is concerned with, and sensitive to, the quality of life in the community. It perceives the role of the community as an active agent and partner in promoting security. This is in contrast to the traditional concept of policing that often measures its successes chiefly through response time, the number of calls handled, and detection and clearance rates for criminal acts.

In the first plenary session, we will focus on the first of four dimensions of community policing. According to Dr. Gary Cordner, Dean of the College of Justice and Safety, Eastern Kentucky University, the philosophical dimension includes central ideas and beliefs that underlie community policing. Three most important elements are Citizen Input, Broad Function and Personal Service. Community policing incorporates a firm commitment to the value and necessity of citizen input to police policies and priorities. In a free and democratic society, citizens should have a say in how they are governed, and police departments, like other agencies of government, should be responsive and accountable. Police officers are most likely to obtain the citizen support and cooperation they need when they are truly responsive to community concerns. Also as a result of increased transparency, police are likely to gain a greater sense of accountability for their actions.

Community policing also recognizes policing as a broad function, not a narrow law enforcement or crime fighting role. The job of police officers is seen as working with residents to enhance neighborhood safety. This includes resolving conflicts, helping victims, preventing accidents, solving problems, and fighting fear as well as reducing crime through apprehension and enforcement. Policing is inherently a multi-faceted government function – arbitrarily narrowing it to simply responding to calls and conducting enforcement activities reduces its effectiveness in accomplishing the multiple objectives that the public expects police to achieve.

And finally, community policing emphasizes personal service to the public rather than bureaucratic effectiveness. Police officers who deal with citizens in a friendly, open and caring manner engender increased satisfaction and trust, and fewer complaints, from the public they serve. Police agencies should strive to eliminate as many artificial barriers as possible so that citizens can get to know and work with "their" officers. By working closely with the community, understanding their concerns, police can also help breakdown stereotypes and increase tolerance.

Community policing stimulates creative solutions to crime problems -- solutions that begin in our neighborhoods, villages, and towns. When we invest in community policing, we see police officers and citizens working together to make our communities safer. For maximum effectiveness, community policing must permeate every aspect of a police agency -- recruiting, hiring, training, assignment and promotion -- reflecting a true community policing focus.