An Evaluation of Community Oriented Policing (COP) Mechanism: Partnership and Problem Solving. Case Study: Bandar Baru Sri Pinang, Pulau Pinang. Part 1: Literature Review & Methodology

Abstract

The community-oriented policing concept is essence of collaboration between the police force sand the community residents that identifies and solves problems. With the police is no longer the sole guardians of law and order, community and police become actives allies in the effort to enhance the safety and the quality of the neighborhood. Basically, community policing is not a program or a series of programs. It is a philosophy, a belief that by working together the police and the community can accomplish what neither can accomplish alone. It is involves a rethinking of the role of the police and a restructuring of the police force. However, according to Friedmann (1992), the major weakness of earlier community oriented policing programs is that the police agencies did not allow or support community involvement in various crime prevention efforts. The community seems like to imply a group of people with a common history and understandings and sense of themselves as “us” and outsider as “them”. The paper therefore offers an examination of the partnership component between police and community residents towards problem solving.