Essay Sample on Police-Community Relations: Building Bridges for Improved Security

Introduction

Most of the time, the minority groups feel left out. There is a belief that they are discriminated against because of being the minority. There are several ways through which police can create a relationship with the minority groups. Good cooperation between the law enforcers and the community helps in improving the security of everyone (Sharp & Atherton, 2007). In this paper, various methods that can create the good relationship are highlighted.

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Community Police Officers

There is a need for community police officers. These officers should be recruited from minority groups. Having such officers will enable the security department to make the information more accessible as the people are usually free to share anything with fellow members of the community (Weitzer & Tuch, 2004). The police should be trained appropriately, and it is not necessarily they be armed. The law enforcers should hold public discussions to ensure that any concerns within the minority group are addressed within the shortest time possible.

Inclusion of Women in Community Police Officers

It is crucial that women be involved in community policing. It should not be about one gender only. The patrols should also include both teams of men and women. The officers should be able to speak in the language of the minority group.

Community Policing

In each minority group, there should be selected individuals who should work together with the community police and the "regular" police closely. These are the people who report issues to police before the officers get into the venue.

Police Transfers

There should be no officers who should overstay in a specific area. There should be regular rotations so that issues of corruption and people getting used to the officers.

Police Officers Training the Minority Groups

The police department can organize training in the local community so that they can get some time to socialize with the community (Tyler, 2001). The officers can use that time to create awareness about the rights of the citizens. Law enforcers should make the community understand their rights. Most of the time, the minority groups feel left out because they are not aware of their rights.

References

Sharp, D., & Atherton, S. (2007). To serve and protect? The experiences of policing in the community of young people from black and other ethnic minority groups. The British Journal of Criminology, 47(5), 746-763. https://academic.oup.com/bjc/article-abstract/47/5/746/461610

Tyler, T. R. (2001). Public trust and confidence in legal authorities: What do majority and minority group members want from the law and legal institutions?. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 19(2), 215-235. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/bsl.438

Weitzer, R., & Tuch, S. A. (2004). Race and perceptions of police misconduct. Social problems, 51(3), 305-325. https://academic.oup.com/socpro/article-abstract/51/3/305/1654447