NCJ Number
192429
Journal
International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice Volume: 25 Issue: 1, 2 Dated: Spring/Fall 2001 Pages: 111-138
Date Published
2001
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This article identifies and discusses issues in the debate regarding whether to use one-officer or two-officer patrols in Hong Kong.
Abstract
One section of this article provides a brief literature review of the issues along two lines of the most relevant research: policy research on one-officer versus two-officer patrols and empirical research on assaults on police in the line of duty. Another section identifies the issues raised in the debate in Hong Kong in the wake of the killing of an officer on patrol alone on March 14, 2001. This is followed by a section that outlines the facts and circumstances that have given rise to the debate, followed by a section that warns against rushing to make a policy judgment before sufficient research has been conducted to make an informed policy choice. The problems and benefits of two-officer patrols are then discussed. The author argues that the policy of two-officer patrols is not a self-evident improvement in officer safety. He suggests that the risks of injury to front-line officers on patrol are unpredictable, unavoidable, or both. The risks can best be reduced through proper training and continuing education for officers, along with the implementation of advanced life-saving technology and enlightened techniques for managing police-citizen encounters. The demilitarization of the Hong Kong police is also suggested as a means of reducing aggressive police-citizen encounters. 5 tables, 13 notes, and 76 references