NCJ Number
213926
Journal
International Journal of Police Science & Management Volume: 7 Issue: 4 Dated: Winter 2005 Pages: 286-299
Date Published
2005
Length
14 pages
Annotation
Focusing on the Malaysian police, this study examined service culture as a key factor to assist the police commitment to the community policing philosophy.
Abstract
In understanding that the service function is a major part of community policing, the Malaysian police believe that they are a service-oriented police force and support the community policing philosophy. The conclusion reached was that the service culture models borrowed either from foreign private businesses or from different law enforcement agencies may not be directly applied to the implementation of community policing in another country. However, only the internal communication and the service orientation aspects of service culture positively affect police officers’ attitudes toward community policing. These two aspects accounted for only two out seven service culture aspects which were correlated with commitment to practicing community policing, thereby partially supporting the hypothesis. The Royal Malaysian Police adopted and have practiced the concept of community policing since 1979. The idea of community policing emphasizes a deep understanding of the public as co-producers of crime reduction and peace keeping. This study was exploratory in nature. It proposed that service culture is a key factor in helping police commit to the community policing philosophy. It attempted to answer two questions: (1) how do the Malaysian police perceive the service aspect of policing and (2) does service culture affect the police officers’ attitudes toward community policing? The study hypothesized that the more the police hold to service culture, the more the police commit to community policing. References