NCJ Number
79005
Journal
Police Journal South Australia Volume: 61 Issue: 6 Dated: (April 1980) Pages: 23-27,29-31
Date Published
1980
Length
8 pages
Annotation
The role of the British police in the 21st century is discussed by an Australian constable.
Abstract
The 21st century will see police emerging as highly respected professionals, whose knowledge and use of technology will prepare them to deal effectively and efficiently with issues of formal social control. Increased knowledge about human relations and cultural influences will help promote public confidence in police ability to handle conflicts with wisdom and sensitivity. The community must assist the police in the development of social control practices by emphasizing the social education of children. Problems created by affluence, unemployment, boredom, and idleness must be addressed by all community institutions. With an increase in overall community efforts to reduce influences that nurture antisocial behavior, there should be a deemphasis on force by police as the primary means of social control. This humanistic scenario of the police role will only follow society's development of healthy community institutions. Without such institutions, fearful citizens would look to the police to develop more repressive and forceful styles of policing likely to erode cherished privacy rights. In the final analysis, society as a whole must assume the responsibility for determining the role police will assume in the 21st century. Nine bibliographic listings are provided.