Community Policing: National And International Models And Approaches

Community policing is widely regarded as central to the future of policing generally. Yet it is far from a universal panacea or answer to the problem of crime and disorder. Community policing works best where it is least needed - in homogeneous affluent societies. It works worst in heterogeneous deprived social contexts where such policing may be most desirable. This book seeks to test these truisms, and to explore the concept of community policing across a range of international contexts. It examines the evidence of the development of community-oriented policing in nation states as diverse as South Africa, Japan and the countries of the former Eastern bloc as well as in western societies. "Community Policing: International Concepts and Practice" argues that community-oriented policing may often be a western missionary ideal implanted in societies in transition, without due regard for local experiences of policing and crime control. In response, the authors of this provocative book argue the case for a modified view of community-oriented policing within tiered policing structures as the most adaptable to diverse societies.