Research Paper on Role of the Police Force in Fighting Terrorism

Introduction

Over time, terrorism continues to be amongst leading security threat affecting people across the world. As such, the need of coming up with relevant precautionary measures aimed at combatting it has since proven pivotal. In more than three decades now, measures aimed at fighting terrorism have shifted from the traditional ones used in the 1960s and the policing principles used in the 1970s (Olsen, 2014). During this period, police authorities saw it necessary to effect significant changes in how crime should be fought. A crucial way of doing so is closely working with members of local communities as a means of enhancing communication between the general public and the law enforcement agencies. By doing so, this technique could be used as a means of generating adequate information that would be essential in the identification of the basis of significant crimes. Such community policing principles have significantly played a role in efforts aimed at countering terrorism (Olsen, 2014). As a result of the recent terror cases from across the world today, significant economies such as the United States have found it necessary to come up with suitable means of revolutionizing ways in which utilize and modify key resources in fighting crime. State and local police officers play the role of investigators and responders on matters of fighting crime. Additionally, these authorities work hand-in-hand with federal authorities in as far as sharing critical information that may assist in the detection, prevention, and response of threats related to terror attacks. The investigative duty of law enforcement officers plays a significant role in establishing clear grounds where they are able to gain access to adequate information and intelligence which may be utilized by distinct agencies as a means of countering terrorism.

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Research Questions

1. What are the roles of Police officers in combatting terrorism?
2. What are the main ways in which information and intelligence may be transferred from one police division to the next?

Hypothesis

Extensive exchange of adequate information and intelligence among members of law enforcement agency with other agencies may reduce the prevalence of terrorism in the country.

Literature Review: Role of Law Enforcement Agencies

The United States bears about 18,500 tribal, local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies where each has a unique duty in as far as protecting and serving the public is concerned. As economies from across the world continue to grow from time to time, security-related threats continue to become prevalent these including forgery and drug trafficking. Since such crimes are often considered to be somewhat traditional, enforcement agencies have since advanced their intelligence so that they may be sufficiently prepared towards fighting more advanced security threats such as those related to terrorism. As a result of the September 11th terror attack on the United States, the country was able to come up with relevant policies geared towards combatting future occurrences of the same (Chalk 2017). To do so, the federal and state governments were able to come up with ways that would allow for more natural interaction between security agencies through the sharing of intelligence in promoting national security. Some of the critical challenges that have hindered such endeavors include clear expectations, inadequate training, inferior technology, and budget constraints (Chalk 2017). As such, this has called for the need of coming up with strategies inclined towards promoting partnerships between them and other agencies in sharing intelligence and information.

One of the initial steps towards ensuring this is achieved is through the identification and understanding of threats related to terror attacks. The identification of risks allows agencies to list their various expectations and needs to devise a means of sharing information (Chalk, 2017). In most cases, local law enforcement agencies are equipped with community problem-solving skills that allow them to be considered as critical assets to the federal agencies as they assist in holding proper investigations on terrorism. Nevertheless, the various levels of law enforcement have experienced challenges associated with sharing of intelligence.

The Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) has adopted initiatives inclined towards working with the United States Department of justice officer of community-oriented policing services in coming up with means of ensuring that the gap created between the various law enforcement agencies is bridged (Bures, 2016). The police executive Forum has been able to introduce distinct forums aimed at sharing information amongst crucial stakeholders such as policymakers, anti-terrorism experts and leaders responsible for the enforcement of the law (Olsen, 2014).

As a result of the increased risks associated with terror threats, the various police departments have experienced changes that are likely to allow them to fight criminal cases in the future effectively. Some of the changed that have since been affected include the following.

Improved Training

Over time, the government has established initiatives that are inclined towards equipping police department across all divisions with skills that may allow them to address terror threats. One way to do so is by ensuring that all police officers are capable of handling different weapons, more so those that are often considered to be of mass destruction (Perry, 2014). Having such knowledge and skills may also assist in neutralizing a situation presumed to be as a result of terrorism.

Inter-Divisional Partnerships

Since all police departments are all aimed at protecting and serving the general public, the government has been able to come up with initiatives and policies that promote active interactions (Perry, 2014). As such police departments such as those in the local, state, and even federal agencies together with other stakeholders such as fire departments have effective communication channels to enable them to share information and intelligence that may prove useful in dealing with situations related to terrorism (Hasisi, 2014). The partnerships, in this case, should also extend to members of a given community in coming up with solutions for given issues.

Heightened Security

As a means of countering terrorism, police departments have introduced preventive measures such as increasing patrols and instilling important barriers in crucial areas such as nuclear power plants, transit systems, port entries, and worship places (Hasisi, 2014). By doing so, this may enable the law enforcement agencies to effectively come up with relevant information that may be of use in controlling any forms of movements likely to compromise public peace.

Introduction of New Divisions

The federal and state governments have been able to come up with distinct anti-terrorism divisions geared towards monitoring the behavior and patterns of crime within the country (Hasisi, 2014). An example of such divisions includes the drug enforcement division that prevents the use of illegal substances. Such special units allow a specific team of stakeholders to employ strategies that may be used in counter may interactions resulting from terrorism.

Exchange of Information Between Law Enforcement Agencies and the Intelligence Community

The intelligence community is mandated with the task of identifying information associated with current and future threats to the legal order of a given country to ensure that relevant authorities are identified in due time. The police, on the other hand, has the role of collecting relevant information concerning issues related to offenses to ensure that the court is involved in settling such cases (Olsen, 2014). The police force lacks the mandate of gathering information with the aim of providing that the data collected is in a strong position. On the other hand, the intelligence community does not have the capability of conducting investigating offenses (Perry 2014). The division between the two has since led to the creation of a wall between the two divisions. However, efforts continue to be introduced from time to time with the aim of ensuring that the various divisions have been able to share conclusive information that may serve in allowing the organizations are capable of combatting terrorism.

Methodology and Research Strategy

For this study, the researcher utilized qualitative data collection tools as a means of coming up with certain deductions. Both primary and secondary sources were used where the researcher selected a sample population of 10 individuals. The participants were from both genders where each was required to be a member of the police force.

The respondents, in this case, were randomly selected from a group of police officers. From here, semi-structured interviews were used as the main primary data collection tools. The reason for choosing these was to allow the respondents to be in a position where they are likely to answer posed questions in a freer manner. Additionally, this allowed the researcher to ask questions depending on the needs of the study. The secondary data collection method used was the review of the literature of peer-reviewed documentation such as printed books, magazines, journals, and newspapers.

Before being interviewed, the interviewer allowed the respondents to opt out of the study freely should they be uncomfortable. Additionally, the respondents were assured that their feedback would be used responsibly for the sake of the survey alone and nothing more. A deductive research strategy was then used to understand how information sharing among police agency with other agency may be used to come up with a relevant plan of combating terrorism. Deductions were then drawn from the same.

Conclusion

Police enforcement agencies are mandated with the task of ensuring that all members of the public are protected at all times. With the prevalence of terrorism across the world, this legal unit has been able to effectively come up with relative measures of sharing information and intelligence with other agencies within the government. The advent of modern technology has enabled the government to come up with suitable means of sharing information with other stakeholders in an attempt of ensuring that sufficient measures have been set aside to counter the rate terrorism in the country. The U.S. was able to come up with relevant policies geared towards combatting future occurrences of terror attacks following the September 11th incident. Police departments have experienced changes that are likely to allow them to fight criminal cases in the future effectively following the prevalence of terrorism across the world.

References

Bures, O. (2016). Intelligence sharing and the fight against terrorism in the EU: lessons learned from Europol. European View, 15(1), 57-66. (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1007/s12290-016-0393-7)

Chalk, P. (2017). The Response to Terrorism as a Threat to Liberal Democracy 1. In War on Terrorism (pp. 83-98). Routledge. ( HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8497.00027" https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8497.00027)

Hasisi, B., & Weisburd, D. (2014). Policing terrorism and police-community relations: Views of the Arab minority in Israel. Police practice and research, 15(2), 158-172. ( HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2013.874173" https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2013.874173)

Olsen, G. R. (2014). Fighting terrorism in Africa by proxy: the USA and the European Union in Somalia and Mali. European Security, 23(3), 290-306. ( HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1080/09662839.2014.884074" https://doi.or...