Friends of Police Movement: A Concept for Empowerment and an Experiment in Community Policing (From Policing in Central and Eastern Europe: Comparing Firsthand Knowledge With Experience From the West, P 149-159, 1996, Milan Pagon, ed. -- See NCJ- 170291)

• NCJ Number: 170307
• Author(s): P V Prateep
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 11 pages
• Sale Source: College of Police and Security Studies
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: Slovenia

Annotation

A movement in community policing called "Friends of Police Movement" (FOP) was started in 1993 in Ramnad District of Tamil Nadu; the movement has been well received not only among FOP's but also in the wider public and voluntary associations.

Abstract

Within a few months of its inception, nearly 1,000 people from all walks of life volunteered to become FOP's in Ramnad district. The essence of this movement is to foster the untapped sentiments of goodwill for the police among the general public. The movement should transform the police image, open up channels of communication, and provide a reservoir of goodwill, feedback, intelligence, and manpower. The movement aims to bring police and the public close to one another. Through this movement there will be a free flow of information between the police and the public. It can be helpful in creating channels for receiving the right information at the right time. It can also help police in correcting its negative image and projecting the right kind of image of police in the minds of the public. The public will be informed of the work being done by police and make a contribution to it. Police, on the other hand, will receive input from the public on various issues. A member of the FOP experiences a bond of cooperation with the police that deters the member from undermining public order and safety. Overall, the FOP is a useful holistic and proactive concept that transforms the police image, strengthens the force, and creates attitudinal changes both within the force and among the public. It is expected that the movement will spread to all other States of the country within a year; thereafter, it should spread to other nations, particularly where the police are maligned and mistrusted.