Strategies for Reducing and Resolving Conflicts Between Police and Communities
Essentially, I believe that strategies such as better police training in ethical issues and greater civic engagement in addressing issues effectively reduce and resolve conflicts between police and communities. While community policing strives to be more open and integrate the community into justice, it still leaves the community relatively weak regarding effective participation in their justice concerns (Glowatski et al., 2017). Thus, the police keep the final decision-making ability in their hands of the police. Additionally, there is still a schism between the police and the general populace.
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From my point of view, officers must be willing to delegate some conflict resolution authority to citizens directly affected, trusting that the community has the capacity to handle conflict even if that capacity has yet to be proved. Although ethical training is necessary because it educates law enforcers, it would not handle arisen conflicts without civic engagement. Law enforcers must support community engagement that includes interconnectedness, allowing individuals to become incorporated into decision-making processes about their participation in resolving conflicts (Glowatski et al., 2017). When police actively seek to develop social inclusion, the likelihood of transitioning to a restorative policing paradigm increases (Glowatski et al., 2017). Such transformations provide credibility to police officers due to improved connections with the people they serve. Thus, restorative policing as a strategy is recommended because it can help enhance community attitudes toward justice and police officers.
As a result, restorative policing may lessen the number of events police must deal with since the community may be more involved and effective in resolving their issues. Restorative justice and community policing both encourage civic participation and social responsibility in order to accomplish collaborative problem-solving with the goal of cultivating understanding, accountability, and respect (Clamp & Paterson, 2017). A transition to restorative policing will necessitate three significant improvements in policing. First, there must be a shift in how police and communities understand crime and a transformation in how crime is addressed (Clamp & Paterson, 2017). Second, the police function should be enlarged beyond that of peacekeepers and peacemakers to include officers as community builders. Finally, Clamp and Paterson (2017) argue that transformation necessitates police allowing the community to play a larger part in resolving conflicts and making decisions about local justice concerns. By permitting more participation, citizens will become more responsible, courteous of one another, trusting the police, and eager to confront conflict.
To conclude, the focus can be directed to justice in terms of relationships, as interpersonal and social injustice demand relational equality and fairness to be most beneficial. Many police departments are already involved in community-building efforts, such as projects that encourage community input, engagement, and transparency. More restorative justice methods should be used by police personnel. Therefore, such an approach might be an excellent strategy to start when it comes to building community and resolving conflicts.
References
Clamp, K. & Paterson, C. (2017). Restorative policing: Concepts, theory and practice. Routledge.