NCJ Number
202923
Journal
Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management Volume: 26 Issue: 3 Dated: 2003 Pages: 473-489
Editor(s)
Lawrence F. Travis III
Date Published
2003
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This article contextualizes the political/economic environment in which Toronto implemented community-based policing and examines two specific restructuring projects.
Abstract
The restructuring of Toronto's police services unfolded between 1992 and 1995 in two distinct political environments. The restructuring strategy or goal was to find ways of decentralizing, customizing, and improving the efficiency of state services. In this analysis of Toronto's attempt to implement community-based policing, two specific restructuring projects are examined: the Robbery Reduction Initiative and the Central Field Command's implementation of Crime Management. These two initiatives exemplify Toronto's efforts to move recommendations beyond the conceptual phase. The objective remains one of assuring the implementation of a decentralized service structure while maintaining control of order maintenance priorities. The development of community policing in Toronto played a valuable role in underscoring Toronto's strategic restructuring plan. The service has articulated various initiatives within the framework of community policing in an attempt to both generate support from the community and to utilize the community as a resource base. The outcome has been a process of restructuring that has supported a fine-tuning of the service's level of efficiency and effectiveness while maintaining a strong hand on the steering wheel. References