NCJ Number
146741
Journal
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Gazette Volume: 55 Issue: 11 Dated: (1993) Pages: 13-17
Date Published
1993
Length
5 pages
Annotation
In 1990, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) developed a strategic action plan for the implementation of community-based policing.
Abstract
Three core characteristics of the plan -- values, direct accountability to the community, and power sharing -- were directly related to the role of the community in policing. As a result, the RCMP created the Aboriginal and Community Police Directorate, which in turn established community consultative groups. These groups aim to increase communication between the police and the community, by providing a forum in which both parties can meet on a regular basis. In Britain, community consultative groups have been criticized for failing to represent a recognized community, for not encouraging people to attend the meetings, and for being politically unaccountable. The lessons learned from the British experience could be applied to the formation of community consultative groups in Canada. One important step would be to include an evaluation process in the initial creation of a project. The evaluations could consist simply of a questionnaire completed by community members who attend the group's meetings as well as an analysis of the group's meeting minutes and pre-meeting publicity. 14 notes