This Is What You Need to Know about Relationship-Based Policing
In recent years, law enforcement agencies across the globe have been exploring and implementing relationship-based policing as a fundamental shift in their approach to community safety. This paradigm emphasizes building trust, fostering connections, and effectively collaborating with communities to address crime and social issues.
What Is Relationship-Based Policing?
Relationship-based policing is a proactive strategy that prioritizes establishing connections between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve. However, it goes beyond community-based policing. It doesn't just seek the community's input, it also helps to establish best practices and training. It’s a transformative policing model that requires police officers and staff commit to improving the overall well-being of their communities. Unlike traditional policing methods that often focus solely on crime response and enforcement, relationship-based policing has different fantasies.
The focus is on building personal relationships rather than mere partnerships. This involves establishing and maintaining individual relationships with community members and professionals. Creating an atmosphere of trust between police and the diverse communities they serve is essential. Officers work to gain the trust and confidence of community members through positive interactions, transparency, and accountability.
Relationship-based policing also engages in Collaborative Problem-Oriented Policing (POP). Law enforcement agencies partner with residents, community organizations, and other stakeholders to identify, address, and manage the complex community issues underlying crime and disorder. Efforts are made to prevent crime through community engagement, education programs, and early intervention initiatives.
The Need for Relationship-Based Policing
Recent incidents involving police use of force and other issues have led to the legitimacy of the police being questioned in many communities. The President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing was commissioned by President Obama to "strengthen community policing and trust among law enforcement officers and the communities they serve." It sought to "identify best practices and offer recommendations on how policing practices can promote effective crime reduction while building public trust.” Relationship-Based Policing can help restore trust and legitimacy to law enforcement where it has broken down.
Strong relationships of mutual trust between police agencies and the communities they serve are critical to maintaining public safety and effective policing. Firstly, police officials rely on the cooperation of community members to provide information about crime in their neighborhoods.
Secondly, such relationships allow for collaborative problem-solving and management of complex community issues. This helps solutions to crime and disorder problems to focus on root causes rather than symptoms, addressing systemic issues such as racial bias, discrimination, and unequal treatment within the criminal justice system by actively involving communities in decision-making processes.
Finally, community policing promotes accountability in police officers by establishing a strong foundation of transparency, interaction, and collaboration with the communities they serve.
LAPD’s CSP Program
Relationship-based policing has been implemented in various communities and cities worldwide, with notable success stories, including the Los Angeles Police Department’s Community Safety Partnership (CSP) program. Established with the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) in conjunction with the Advancement Project, the CSP selected 40 officers and six supervisors to work long-term in the notorious Watts housing developments.
Prior to this, officers would only enter the developments with backup units. Most often, it would be to crack down on crime with a zero-tolerance approach, meaning their presence invoked fear and mistrust as it always resulted in arrests. It was a crime-suppression method that targeted the whole community, often disproportionately affecting community youth.
CSP officers focused on establishing relationships and finding the root causes of crime, proving they cared about the residents, not just crime. Within three years, violent crime was halved, with the gang-controlled Jordan Downs Housing Development completely free of murders. Elsewhere, where murders occurred, public cooperation meant they were swiftly solved. The lasting result was trust between the LAPD and Watts communities.
Scotland’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU)
In Scotland, The Glasgow Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), now known as the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit, was established by Police Scotland in 2005 to address the City’s high knife crime rates. It uses a public health approach to target all forms of violent behavior, including street gang violence, domestic abuse, school bullying, and workplace bullying. The unit’s key message is that gang-related stabbings are not just a policing issue but a public health issue. It has significantly reduced the incidences of knife violence in Glasgow.
Tokyo’s Koban System
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department emphasizes community engagement and problem-solving through its Koban system, which involves small neighborhood police boxes staffed by officers who work closely with residents to address local concerns and build trust, even making door-to-door visits. Officers handle anything from incidents and accidents to providing directions and handling lost items. The Koban system is internationally recognized as an effective policing system deep-rooted in local communities, playing a crucial role in Japan’s low crime rates.
Conclusion
Relationship-based policing represents a paradigm shift in law enforcement, emphasizing collaboration, trust-building, and proactive problem-solving to promote public safety and community well-being. As police agencies continue to evolve and adapt to changing societal needs and expectations, relationship-based policing will remain a vital framework for fostering positive police-community relationships and addressing the complex challenges of the 21st century.