7 Pros and Cons of Community Policing

The thought of having police officers in the community has been practiced already in huge cities. In fact, police presence around the community has become the norm in many communities around the country. However, many have asked about the essentiality of this notion of having an officer to walk around the community. So, perhaps it will be fair to look at the pros and cons of community policing first before you decide.

List of Pros of Community Policing

1. Brings the Community Together
Since it is a joint cooperation with the community members and the police force, this could work to bring the community and the police closer to each other. So, when they work to achieve a common good, it should build a strong community.

2. A Good Crime Deterrent
The visibility of the police and the vigilance of the community should be able to deter crime. This is because it will be highly unlikely if criminals should attempt break-ins or other criminal acts once they know they are being watched.

3. Educating the Community
Officers of the police force are easier to be approached. That’s why the citizens should feel a lot more comfortable when they see a friendly face they recognize. Thus, it will help them to be educated regarding their role in crime prevention and reporting.

4. Commitment to the Community
Once people around the community communicate, it will be the basis of fostering stronger ties and sense of responsibility to the community.

List of Cons of Community Policing

1. Struggle of Power
It might be that not all citizens in the community are civic minded. In fact, some people engage in community policing for the wrong reasons. Thus, it will lead to use his or her authority in order to fulfill his or her personal gains. Likewise, it will encourage a community watch personnel to throw their weight around and get away with it.

2. Creating Deviance
Without crimes in the community, there is no need for this type of action. But in some cases crime is considered manufactured. This is where crimes that can be handled or overlooked without the help of the police become the norm for getting community policing.

3. Varied Ideas
Sometimes, people find it unnecessary to have police presence in the community. This is like having someone looking for something that is not there. Like looking for a suspected citizen that has been suspected of DWI violation or guilty of it. For this reason, it has been considered unnecessary and unconstitutional for some, which might not also work for other people.

Community policing has not been proven to cut down the occurrence of crime in a particular area. Likewise, there are no evidences that community policing will not affect the crime level. In fact, there are still many things that should be considered before you can decide to engage in community policing. Such might be based on constitutional rights or even more. Therefore, the pros and cons here should at least give you a quick understanding regarding the topic of community policing.