What's in a Word? ‘Community’ Policing in Britain, USA and Canada
| Author | Jayne Seagrave |
| Published date | 01 January 1996 |
| Date | 01 January 1996 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X9606900105 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
JAYNE
SEAGRAVE,
Ph.D.
School
of
Criminology, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia
WHAT'S IN A WORD?
'COMMUNITY' POLICING IN
BRITAIN, USA AND CANADA
Introduction
Recently, police organizations on both sides of the Atlantic have claimed
to be changing their organizational structures and adopting community
policing philosophies and practices. Some believe that community
policing represents a paradigmatic shift Iand an entire philosophy of
policing.' rather than a specific programme and that this philosophy
incorporates an expanded police role in society, internal organizational
change and a greater linkage between the police and the community.'
Most commentators agree that it involves not only increased police
involvement with the public but acomplete overhaul ofpolice management
and structure. In this respect it is seen to propose the most fundamental
change to policing this century.'
This article initially discusses how the term 'community' has been
applied in the past to public policy initiatives because of its positive
connotations.
It
then proceeds to outline the development of community
policing in Britain, the United States and Canada and concludes by
illustrating that community policing is a concept frequently discussed but
rarely evaluated and as such is apolicy initiative which may be little more
than rhetorical.
Community
Defined
"It is understandable why most writers on the police-community
relations neglect an in depth discussion of the 'community'; it is a
difficult and elusive subject that perplexes even the experts."?
The term community is not static but open to numerous definitions. In the
1950sHillery identified 94 differentmeanings of the concept?and it would
appear that 40 years later the term still receives criticisms for its imprecise
nature. These definitional problems are also found when it is applied to
policing. Although the term community is far from clear and was
described as unfashionable during the 1960s,7it has received favour since
the 1970s as a label for new and reforming policies. This has led to an
increasing number of community labelled policies: community care;
community architecture; community education; community radio; and
community policing."
Certain words can be real sources of power for the guidance and
justification of policy changes and for insulating the system against
30 The Police Journal January 1996
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