Author: West, Ronald A.
Title: Democratic Oversight of Police Forces: Mechanisms for Accountability and Community Policing
Summary: One of the most important features of the modern democratic state is the tacit agreement between the government and citizens: in exchange for surrendering some of their personal liberty to allow government to develop a binding legal framework for society, citizens are given protection by the government. This public protection is provided by police, who maintain order and enforce laws. Police in democratic countries are generally civilians, even if the organization of police institutions bears many similarities to military forces. Most developed democracies have limited the authority of their militaries to responsibility for protecting the state from foreign invasion and/or actions in a very limited range of internal crises — there is no role for the military in policing a democracy. This handbook is a guide for those concerned with what happens after democratization takes place and police realize that a new type of government is in power. To whom will police answer? What form will policing take? The handbook includes the following sections: 1) Ensuring Accountability - How Democracies Control Police; 2) Community or "Problem-Solving Policing"; and Sweden - A Case Study in Improving Performance.
Details: Washington, DC: RIGHTS Consortium; National Democratic Institute, 2005. 54p.
Source: Internet Resource; Rule of Law Series Paper
Year: 2005
Country: International
URL:
Shelf Number: 119564
Keywords:
Community PolicingDemocratizationPolice AccountabilityProblem-Oriented Policing |
