NCJ Number
115537
Journal
Police Journal Volume: 61 Issue: 4 Dated: (October-December 1988) Pages: 344-347
Date Published
1988
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The author's 8 hours with officers from the Paddington Green Police Station, located in the center of London, yielded a summation of their activity with five 'C' words: control, cooperation, courage, concern, and caution.
Abstract
Control was evidenced by the manner in which vehicles and personnel were managed with skill and precision by both Scotland Yard on main force radio network and by the Paddington Green Station. Sufficient but not too many vehicles and personnel were dispatched to incidents. The officers themselves also exercised considerable self-control in the management of highly emotional incidents. Cooperation was manifested between the police and citizens, as citizens reported the need for police help, and police provided services to meet citizens' needs for protection and services. Courage was shown by officers in such situations as the handling of out-of-control drunks, the breaking up of a fight among intoxicated youth, and sustaining a barrage of bottles from nearby flats in one incident. Police showed concern about the community's safety and quality of life by trying to manage the sordidness of life on the street and protect residents from property crime. Police exercised caution in responding to calls in their vehicles and in managing volatile incidents. The author advises that these same five 'C' words could improve the functioning of the larger community.