Community policing

IN the wake of the recent lawlessness and slip of the rule of law taking a fearsome grip on the country, the efforts and ability of the police in maintaining law and order has been questioned in many communities.
Policing is not only about responding to crises but averting these things from happening.
It is imperative that police make improving relationships with their local communities a top priority.
Community policing is the cooperation with the public and the police, so that the community and police solve problems of crime together.
This means police start responding to problems in the community and work with the community to regain their confidence and support.
Strong relationships of mutual trust between police and the communities they serve are critical to maintaining public safety and effective policing
Dr Martin Luther King wrote, “Men often hate each other because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they cannot communicate; they cannot communicate because they are separated.”
We have to bridge the separation between the police and the community.
It does not necessarily entail a fundamental change in police practices, rather a change in attitude and culture.
The Papua New Guinea Royal Constabulary must change long held attitudes, and must embrace the concept of community policing.
It is very important to have the partnership between the police and the community to jointly tackle the problem of crime.
Direct engagement with the community like through initiatives like the Crime Stoppers television programme and the good Police Minister Bryan Kramer’s social media campaign should be encouraged and supported.
Regular police foot-patrols and the popular cop-shops in urban centres should be brought back.
Kramer’s appeal to the community to report any crime or incidences infringing the law is a small step in the right direction in community engagement.
At the same time, the community needs to accept that they have a part to play in policing.
It’s a two way process and community policing will only be effective if the public helps in assisting the police.
Effective policing has to be like a partnership between the police and the community.
The government’s “Take back Papua New Guinea” agenda is like a thousand miles journey but it should begin with a single step, therefore we must begin in taking back the streets, suburbs, villages and community. And in time we have covered the entire country.

David Lepi