NCJ Number
79665
Date Published
1978
Length
14 pages
Annotation
The relationship between scientific research and development of police policies toward crime in Belgium is investigated.
Abstract
Police policy must find its objectives in society and must be determined by the legislative and executive powers of government with the aid of scientific research. Good policy integrates the different subsystems of the administration of justice as well as different sciences, at the same time applying modern principles of management. Good work organization facilitates more research activities than presently possible. The significance of research by the national police is directly related to the characteristics of the organization. The national police have broad responsibilities on a national level, a hierarchical organization, strict training requirements, including university studies, and ready access to a great deal of practical information. The legislature assigned the national police the role of repressive and dissuasive crime control but neglects their preventive and informative functions. A policy which neglects preventive measures fails to deal with the prime causes of crime, making it impossible for the national police to handle criminal situations effectively. Better understanding of the human situation, society, and all aspects of crime could serve as the basis for meaningful prevention activities. Unfortunately, both police officers' image of themselves as working officers of the law and researchers' ideological prejudices combined with scientific jargon create a gap between the two groups. This gap can only be bridged if both groups learn to understand and to value each other. Only through collaborative efforts can realistic information be scientifically evaluated. There must therefore be improvement in the relationship of police with outside researchers and assurance of the presence of researchers within the police organization itself.