NCJ Number
100900
Date Published
1986
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This British study used a sample survey to identify the tasks performed by community constables, the degree to which they have direct contact with the public, and the problems that currently exist in community constable work.
Abstract
Data were obtained from five police forces in 1981 to provide a balanced mixture of community characteristics and crime rates. Each of the forces had established community constable programs in which officers were assigned to specific beats for 1 year or more. A sample of 300 constables completed forms to show their activities during 2 weeks in November 1981. Another data set was obtained from interviews with 200 of the 300 officers and with senior officers in each of the five forces. Data on organization pertained to personnel, deployment, supervision, and shifts. Data on community constable duties pertained to community involvement, time withdrawn from the beat, general duties, preventive policing, crime work, and public order work. Primary problems in community policing were the lack of planning required to match duty hours to local crime patterns or community activities, the small amount of time spent on activities that would benefit police-community relations, lack of police involvement in community organizations, excessive time spent off the beat, little verbal communication with citizens, inadequate time with other police officers, and turnover due to poor career prospects. Organizational changes are recommended.