International Perspectives on Community Policing and Crime Prevention

The concept of community policing is spreading across the globe. Police agencies, whether in developed nations or in developing ones, are attempting to reach out to citizens. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of crime prevention through community policing is not well established. Programs that work well in a particular community are not easily replicated and successful strategies can be copied only after taking into account the concerns, structure, and organization of each community. This form of policing requires creativity, resources, and special skills for which police officers need special training. The chapters in this book provide insight to community policing and crime prevention as they appear in countries around the world. Various chapters deal with countries, which have well established formal, professional police forces; are in transition from colonial status to independence; or are emerging democracies faced with the demands associated with major political and social change. What ties all of these efforts together is the recognition that the public needs to be involved in preventing crime.