Reboot the police to serve communities
Law enforcement is both bureaucratic and impersonal, writes David Cassels.
Policing is first and foremost a service to the community; the more it is at odds with the needs and values of the community, the less it works.
While these words may be good common sense to most people, the reality is that the police are most often at odds with the needs of the community. This is not the fault of police officers; it is outdated, organizational components that inhibit well-intentioned police from doing their work.
Police agencies in Canada are bureaucratic, centralized, impersonal, process-oriented and law-enforcement based. Components are random patrol, rapid response and investigation after-the-fact. This is simply the way it is.
All empirical studies of police operations have shown that random patrol has no effect on the prevention of crime, victimization or perception of police effectiveness.
Rapid response by police is marginally effective and, in the majority of cases, comes during or after a crime has been committed, leaving the police to spend many hours investigating.
Empirical studies show no evidence that rapid response increases apprehension rates or has any effect on crime rates.
Investigation after-the-fact is exceptionally time-consuming and has no effect on the reduction of crime.
Police officers are skilled, well-equipped and committed to their work. They are there when you need them and act immediately to bring some calm to a difficult situation. However, your police have both the ability and opportunity to do much more. It is outdated strategies that impede them from doing so.
The traditional manner in which police are deployed puts the majority in cars, responding to calls-for-service. They investigate and apply law enforcement as the only tool available, then get back into the car to respond to another call. The dispatch centre drives the actions of your police.
It is time for a reboot. Many marginalized groups in Canada are desperately asking for help. These are the people police serve.
Most Canadians do not know Sir Robert Peel’s Principles of Law Enforcement, including many police officers. Two are significant and particularly relevant today:
“To prevent crime and disorder, as an alternative to their repression by military force and severity of legal punishment.”
“To recognize that the power of the police to fulfil their functions and duties is dependent on public approval of their existence, actions and behaviour, and on their ability to secure and maintain public respect.”
People in our communities are crying for help. City councillors are beginning to listen. Police are beginning to listen.
Police leaders have both the authority and ability to make change. Chiefs with an understanding of Peel’s Principles and with a personal commitment to community well-being can achieve success through consultation with community leaders and with decisive, focused leadership. Enforcement must not dominate policing strategies.
While there will always be a need to have police available to respond to urgent calls for service, there are many opportunities to redeploy officers with a mandate to listen, then focus on helping people by reducing or eliminating recurring crime and disorder. This establishes trust and understanding. Police will have much more success reducing crime this way than by simply driving around waiting for something to happen.
The majority of calls-for-service come from repeat locations. Assign one police officer to deal with the root causes, in co-operation with other agencies, thereby eliminating recurring crime and community disorder.
Police agencies must be less bureaucratic, be decentralized to local communities, be communicative and consultative, and be problem-solving-based, not “law enforcement” based.
Many skeptics do not recognize the need to review police budgets and find a better way to do business. Many of the functions performed by police need not be done by police officers. There are many opportunities to examine administrative police functions and eliminate them, freeing police officers to consult and help communities deal with real problems and concerns.
To those who are tasked with the responsibility of examining police operations and budgets, be brave and be innovative; your work is important. It is in the public’s best interest.