Police and Their Duties - Police Responsibilities and Modern Forms of Crime Towards a Definition

• NCJ Number: 79385
• Journal: International Criminal Police Review Issue: 346 Dated: (March 1981) Pages: 84-96
• Author(s): A Bossard
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 13 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey (Cross-Cultural)
• Language: English
• Country: France
• Note: This paper was given at the 28th International Criminology Course held in Montreal from 1st to 7th June 1980.

Annotation

This paper outlines a general theory of police responsibilities, discusses trends in crime, and describes adaptations in police tactics to combat modern crimes.

Abstract

A brief review of police activities in different countries divides police responsibilities into five categories: the fight against crime, prevention, administrative duties such as traffic control and issuing licenses, intelligence activities, maintenance of public order, and emergency services. Police in various nations carry out these duties in different ways, but an analysis of the names that countries give to their police departments indicates that all police are generally responsible for keeping the peace, gathering information to prevent crime, and protecting individual citizens, even if it becomes necessary to coerce theim into obeying the law. This mission means that police must be granted certain prerogatives, but these should be limited and related to basic objectives. Moreover, police activities must benefit the community, and the police themselves must be a highly disciplined force. One apparent trend in modern crime is for professional criminals to operate in groups, although these associations seem less specialized than in the past. Serious forms of violent crime by organized groups have increased, notably terrorism and large-scale armed robberies. Other trends include a rise in economic and financial crime and the tendency for more crimes to have international aspects due to rapid transport facilities, modern technology, and the easing of frontier formalities. Surveys conducted by the International Criminal Police Organization suggest that police are adapting to modern crime by establishing special units, increasing cooperation among government departments handling similar problems, and creating special crime prevention bodies. Special training for police has expanded, and new scientific and technical approaches to detection and investigation is especially important, particularly regarding the rapid transmission of information. Although tactics have changed, the general mission of the police remains the same. No references are cited.