Why Is Community Policing Important In Law Enforcement

The traditional ways of law enforcement was to react when a call came in and handle the problem when the officer arrived. While this method is not necessarily a bad thing, it is not the most effective way to handle crime. This type of policing simply thwarts crime when it occurs, but does nothing to prevent crime from happening again in the future. Community policing also reacts when crime occurs, but it also takes steps to try to prevent it. Prevention of crime can be a big help to law enforcement because the ultimate goal is to have very little or no crime. Community policing does not just make the public feel better about the police, but it helps police to feel better about the community they serve. It is easy for the police to get burnt out about the people they serve because most of the time the people they deal with on a regular basis do not appreciate what they do. Nonetheless, when officers develop a better relationship with the community they see that some of the people in the community do appreciate the sacrifice they make and are grateful for what they do. If an officer is faced with a physical confrontation before his back up arrives it can turn into a dangerous situation, but if the officer has good relationships with those in the …show more content…
M., 1997). Each of these factors can affect the relationship a police department has when the community it serves. It is imperative that police departments make it known that they are there for the public and that they truly care about them. Young or old, the police need to learn to relate to the ones they are serving and find ways to make them feel safer from crime in their community (Rob, S. & Oliver, W. M., 2005). Rob and Oliver (2005) suggest that community policing may not improve people’s fear of crime, but it does make the community feel like the police are there to protect them