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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 1:54 am
Time: 1:54 am
Results for rural policing
3 results foundAuthor: Fenwick, Tara Title: Rural Policing: Understanding Police Knowledge and Practice in Rural Communities Summary: This pilot study, conducted in partnership with Northern Constabulary, examined the dimensions of rural policing practice and knowledge in Scotland. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with 34 frontline, supervisory and senior officers, ranging in rank from Constable to Chief Constable. The two main questions addressed were: What unique demands are encountered by the police service in different rural contexts in Scotland?; and What unique approaches to policing have been developed? Officers drew upon their years of experience in urban, rural and island communities in Northern Constabulary, as well as in other Scottish and UK jurisdictions. Data revealed that rural policing has a fundamentally different nature to urban policing, requiring active community engagement to be effective. While the nature of crime is not dramatically different from urban centres, the frequency of crime is much reduced, and as a result officers routinely take on the work of higher ranks and specialist units. Overall the study found that rural policing makes unique demands on officers and supervisors, and fulfils unique functions in strengthening communities and inter-professional linkages. Details: Dundee, UK: Scottish Institute for Policing Research, School of Social Sciences, University of Dundee, 2011. 4p. Source: Internet Resource: SIPR Research Summary No. 10: Accessed October 20, 2011 at: http://www.sipr.ac.uk/downloads/Research_Summaries/Research_Summary_10.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.sipr.ac.uk/downloads/Research_Summaries/Research_Summary_10.pdf Shelf Number: 123058 Keywords: Policing, Rural Areas (Scotland)Rural CrimeRural Policing |
Author: Steinberg, Jonny Title: After the Commandos. The Future of Rural Policing in South Africa Summary: In February 2003, President Thabo Mbeki announced that the South African National Defence Force's (SANDF) Territorial Reserve, popularly known as the Commandos, would be phased out. This phasing out process is now well underway. By the end of 2009, the last of South Africa's 183 Commandos will have ceased operating, their rural crime prevention and borderline control functions taken over by the South African Police Service (SAPS). The task of this monograph is to assess the rural safety capacity that will be lost with the closing of the Commandos, and to discuss the manner in which the SAPS will replace that capacity. To this end, we conducted fieldwork in the three Commando jurisdictions: Ladybrand in the eastern Free State, De Mist in Eastern Cape, and West Rand and Gatsrand Commando areas in Gauteng. Commando strength is uneven. In Ladybrand, for instance, commercial farmers are actively involved in a number of grassroots security initiatives, primarily in defence of their commercial property, but the Commando is a marginal player in these initiatives. Moreover, the farming community is deeply divided over how the borderline with Lesotho ought to be policed, and, by proxy, over the role the Commando ought to play in borderline control. The De Mist Commando in Eastern Cape, by contrast, is highly organised, has a large active membership, and a clear and uncontested rural crime prevention programme. It is the dominant player in rural crime prevention; most police stations in its jurisdiction invest the lion's share of their resources in urban policing. In the West Rand, there is a strong identification between white farmers and the Commando, primarily as a result of the Commando's competence in policing agricultural crimes. We ask whether the Commandos are representative of rural South Africa, and argue that they are not; their function is primarily to protect the property and interests of the rural middle class. This is not necessarily illegitimate. Rural South Africa is deeply divided, by race, by inequality, and by a great deal of history. Asking a security agency to bridge these divides is asking too much; security agencies can neither mend souls nor conduct projects of social engineering. A more pertinent question to ask is whether the Commandos can make an effective contribution to policing agricultural crimes while not invading the privacy and violating the dignity of other rural constituencies. We argue that when deployed inappropriately, Commandos can indeed be destructive of social harmony and wellbeing, but that when deployed correctly they are both effective and benign. Finally, we argue that the policing of agricultural crimes, and of the rural sectors of small town police stations more generally, is likely to deteriorate after the closure of the Commandos. However, we do not pretend to offer easy solutions to the problem. The matter is by its nature a difficult one. All police services exercise discretion in deciding which aspects of policing to prioritise. In the SAPS, this discretion is exercised primarily at a national level. Area and station level managers are given quantifiable crime reduction and police action targets to meet. At present, the highest priority crimes in the SAPS are contact crimes, and are attached to an annual crime reduction target of seven percent. This is a normative, value-laden decision, and a commendable one at that. In small town police stations, however, the policing of rural sectors will suffer as a result. Many of these stations straddle a sharp divide between urban and rural areas. Most contact crimes are committed in urban sectors. If and when the capacity contained in the Commandos is transferred to the police, area and station level managers are bound to transfer much of this capacity from the rural sectors in which it is now deployed to urban sectors. Not to do so would be to respond irrationally to their own performance indicators. Prioritising the policing of, say, aggravated robbery over sheep theft is not just understandable but commendable. The SAPS should be aware though that there are places where its existing organisational incentives might, unless checked, result in situations where agricultural crimes are almost entirely unpoliced. Details: Pretoria: Institute for Security Studies, 2005. 62p. Source: Internet Resource: ISS Monograph Series, No. 120: Accessed April 4, 2018 at: https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/120FULL.PDF Year: 2005 Country: South Africa URL: https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/120FULL.PDF Shelf Number: 100558 Keywords: Agricultural CrimeCattle TheftRural AreasRural CrimeRural Policing |
Author: Canada. Parliament. House of Commons. Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights Title: Study on Crime in Rural Areas in Canada Summary: MANDATE OF THE COMMITTEE -- On 30 May 2018, the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security (the Committee) was instructed by the House of Commons to undertake a study of crime in rural areas in Canada and to report its findings to the House. The Committee heard from 19 witnesses over the course of five meetings in June and October 2018 and received seven briefs. Witnesses provided their perspectives of events and expertise on the issue of crime in rural areas. The Committee heard testimony from several individuals who shared their challenging experiences with crime in rural areas and the difficulties they faced. CRIME IN RURAL AREAS -- The Committee recognizes that crime in rural areas is of growing concern to rural residents across the country. The Committee heard that while crime in rural areas is more acute in western Canada, eastern provinces are also experiencing high crime rates in rural areas. Incidents reported by witnesses to the Committee were related to property crimes such as a break-ins, thefts and, in some cases, violent assaults. The risks of sexual violence, violence towards women and suicide in rural areas were also underscored by witnesses. Edouard and Jessica Maurice, Fredrick Priestley-Wright, Alicia Bedford and Geraldine Dixon explained to the Committee how rural residents are sometimes left on their own because of long police response times, which can be hours or even days in some cases. According to Scott Newark, this is the core of the crime problem in rural areas, which is causing an erosion of public confidence. The Committee heard of innovative solutions that could help address the issue, such as the crime reduction strategy that has been implemented by the province of Alberta. The Committee recognizes the feelings of helplessness of the witnesses, and their desire to take matters into their own hands. However, the Committee discourages this kind of intervention by citizens. The Committee agrees with Nick Cornea who said: "Be Vigilant and Not Vigilantes." 8 While community watch groups and rural crime groups should be encouraged, they should not be an alternative to professionally trained police officers. Witnesses also emphasized the importance of partnerships between police forces and community groups, who can be the eyes and ears of front-line officers. Moreover, the Committee heard that rural communities are generally very respectful of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) due to their long-term presence and responsibilities within the communities they serve. POLICING IN RURAL AREAS -- Policing is primarily the responsibility of provincial governments. Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador manage and fund their own provincial policing services. Some municipalities and First Nations and Inuit communities choose to have their own police services as well. However, the RCMP is contracted by several provinces, municipalities and First Nations and Inuit communities to provide policing services, including Alberta and Saskatchewan, the most represented provinces in the witnesses appearing before the Committee. The provinces and municipalities who enter into these policing arrangements with the RCMP establish the level of resources, budget and policing priorities of the contract police detachments in consultation with the RCMP. Therefore, the Committee strongly encourages provinces and territories to increase investments in policing and innovative solutions, including emergency response and dispatch centres. In addition, the Committee believes that every Canadian should have equal access to policing, victim services and programs, and that the RCMP should consider ways to partner with other policing agencies and make greater use of the auxiliary and reserve programs in rural areas. In conclusion, the Committee believes that effective crime reduction measures should have at least four components: adequate police resources, partnerships with the community, robust victim support and a justice system that inspires public confidence. Details: Ottawa: Author, 2019. 29p. Source: Internet Resource: 42nd Parliament: 1st Session: Accessed June 26, 2019 at: https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/421/SECU/Reports/RP10493887/securp33/securp33-e.pdf Year: 2019 Country: Canada URL: https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/421/SECU/Reports/RP10493887/securp33/securp33-e.pdf Shelf Number: 156701 Keywords: Rural Areas Rural Crime Rural Policing |