NCJ Number
88606
Date Published
1981
Length
20 pages
Annotation
An emphasis on preventive policing in Great Britain requires that police develop a community relations orientation that is best served by an emphasis on and an upgrading of beat policing and an increase in the accountability of the police to the public.
Abstract
Preventive policing in Britain has been undermined by deteriorating police-community relations, which has resulted largely from an emphasis on police professionalism characterized by specialization and centralization, police corruption and brutality, and perceptions of police discrimination against minorities. Other factors contributing to a decline in public support of the police include (1) police use of licensing and drug enforcement laws in dealing with blacks, (2) police use of new technology (especially surveillance equipment), (3) police demands for changes in their powers to deal with suspects, (4) police demands for changes in public order legislation, and (5) a lack of public confidence in the procedure for complaints against the police. The outcome of the influence of all these factors is public demand for greater accountability and control over the police by public representatives. The police leadership, rather than attempting to engage in constructive public dialogue on the police role and accountability to the public, has taken a defensive stance by claiming that its critics are attempting to weaken the forces of law and order. If preventive policing is to gain ground in Britain, the police must be willing to examine the factors contributing to a loss of public support and undertake actions that will help improve public relations. Such actions should include steps to increase public accountability and improve the number and quality of direct police contacts with the public. This inevitably involves an upgrading of the status and training of the best patrol officer, from whose work the public develops perceptions of the police. Sixty notes are provided.