Policing a Democracy

• NCJ Number: 89546
• Journal: Australian Crime Prevention Council Forum Volume: 5 Issue: 4 Dated: (September-October 1982) Pages: 1-2,5,7,9
• Author(s): W Clifford
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 16 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Language: English
• Country: Australia
• Note: Presented at the 11th Biennial Conference of the Australian Crime Prevention Council, Canberra, 31 August 1981.

Annotation

This keynote address to the 1981 conference of the Australian Crime Prevention Council explores the dilemmas that democratic government poses for both police and the public in responding to crime and suggests measures to improve policing.

Abstract

Democracies are faced continually with problems of drawing the line between necessary regulation and unnecessary control. Furthermore, the public has unreal expectations of the police and believes that they can be both efficient and strictly accountable to the law. The public also assumes that an increase in crime means there are not enough police, forgetting that police obligations to enforce the law and obtain evidence take precedence over assisting victims. It is also unrealistic for citizens to imagine that they rely on the police for the enforcement of all laws and to view police officers as individuals with super strength, intelligence, and impeccable integrity. On the other hand, police must be aware that political realities influence their actions and that public trust in all government institutions has eroded in the last 20 years. The police also entertain the illusion that they can be all things to all people and that they always contain within their ranks the expertise required for efficient policing. Finally, community participation in a democracy has to be at policy levels, not just in implementing programs. Better policing could be achieved by building up knowledge about what works in policing and what does not, increasing public participation at high levels, adopting a broader approach to higher level training in criminal justice, and closer monitoring of private security. Other areas for improvement include police management, police public relations, the police link with prosecution, control of riots and demonstrations, and the police's social service role. The paper provides 10 references.