Purpose Neighbourhood policing is central to supporting public confidence in England and Wales. However, the delivery of neighbourhood policing models is increasingly fragmented and under pressure from austerity measures and from changes to demand and priorities. This research aims to understand the current state of neighbourhood policing in the county of “Rackhamshire” and its ability to support public confidence. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted six focus groups, three with officers who were part of Community Policing Teams (CPTs) and three with members of the community who were actively engaged with community policing and local concerns. These were supplemented by two interviews with senior officers (35 participants in total). Findings Austerity-driven changes to policing in Rackhamshire have damaged the capacities of CPTs and residents have begun to lose confidence in the ability of the police to respond to their fears. The authors argue that reforms intended to make policing more efficient and effective appear to have the opposite effect on community policing, by preventing it from working in a way that can support public confidence and that this could have longer-term consequences. Originality/value The effects of austerity on the mechanisms by which neighbourhood policing supports confidence have been relatively neglected. By exploring the state of these mechanisms in one English constabulary, this research has exposed serious weaknesses in the way that community policing is able to support public confidence and suggests practical operational responses. In light of these findings, this study argues for the urgent reinstatement of earlier models of neighbourhood policing.
Citizens, community and crime control covers an impressive amount of ground to offer a thoughtful, critical review of an area that has not previously been considered in such a systematic manner. Focusing largely on citizen participation in policing, Bullock encompasses a wealth of thinking, from Plato and the Ancient Greek demos to contemporary debates over the proper role of the citizen in the wider public services.Bullock introduces the monograph with an overview of historical models of crime control and policing, from those that pre-dated the establishment of the Metropolitan Police in 1829, through the professionalisation of the police in the post-War era, to the 'rediscovery of the citizen' in the past several decades. This lays the ground for a comprehensive discussion of the contested areas of community, participation, and crime control itself.Community is, of course, a loaded concept. As Bullock argues, it retains a central relevance in the way it can be used to justify and to organise the delivery of political agendas. The appeal to community can easily be a means of off-loading responsibility for public safety. It also suggests a sense of geographical and social cohesion that may bear little relation to the lived experience of residents. Similarly, 'participation' is a moveable feast, and carries within it the danger of encouraging a form of 'community engagement' which may not engage more than a handful of already articulate and involved citizens. Democracy is a concept that is perhaps understood less than it is called upon. Bullock notes that a number commentators including Manning (2010) and Sklansky (2005) have drawn attention to the way that the relationship between democracy and policing is often vaguely outlined, and some of the tenets of 'democratic policing' contestable. While not strictly focused on democratic policing, Bullock's work engages thoroughly with the literature, noting the implications that different understandings of democracy have for the participation of citizens in policing. The chapter devoted to democracy provides a useful exploration of different strands of democratic theory that underpins much of her later discussion; key themes of a 2500-year-old debate are outlined and related directly to contemporary policy. In conclusion, Bullock notes several fundamental questions which still remain unanswered, such as whether citizens are actually prepared to engage in their public services to the extent that advocates of participation would wish.Bullock then moves on to examine the positioning of the citizen within contemporary policing, beginning with the removal of the citizen from formal structures by the 1964 Police Act. The ensuing crisis in consent and legitimacy stemmed broadly from a sense that the police had lost touch with the communities that they served, demonstrated in particular by specific events such as the Brixton riots of the early 1980s. Bullock helpfully sets out the response to these crises from across the political spectrum. In particular, the response from the ...
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