Since the 1980s, community policing has been on the rise – in most neighborhoods, on most streets, in most cities. Police around the world have proven that knowing your community and taking the time to understand its needs can truly make a difference. According to Peak (2015), “…the community can and should play a vital role in solving problems and fighting crime.” So, how does it work and what are some of the basic principles that community policing is based on? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To begin, Peak states, “…[community policing was designed to bring the police together with the community” (2015, Pg, 98). This allowed both the community and the police to benefit from each other's interactions. Lesson 4 states that it is becoming “a growing trend that is making a difference in how officers can reduce crime.” This is because the police and the community work hand in hand to reduce crime rather than the police doing everything alone. Instead of taking on a crime-fighting role, officers take on more of a problem-solving role when dealing with the community, allowing them to look at crimes a little differently than they normally would. So what are some of the basic principles of these police officers? do officers use to conduct community policing? Well, the first, and probably most important, as mentioned before, is for agents to take a broad approach to problem solving, as taught in Lesson 4. This allows agents to change their perspective in ways they may not have originally done and to work with the community to a different degree. Another is that police priorities now focus on the community and what is really happening. The police now deal directly with citizens' concerns, problems and crimes. Throughout this ordeal, the police still aim to remain as close to the community as possible. Therefore, they are responsible for the needs of the community and, for this reason, acquire intelligence and criminal knowledge through the community. Having such a close relationship allows officers and the community to now have a channel of communication. Indeed, “community institutions such as families, schools, and neighborhood and merchant associations are seen as key partners of the police in creating safer communities,” states Peak (2015, Pg, 98). Now, what impact does this have on these relationships? Well, the goal is and always will be to keep the community safe, but the police also have the goal of obtaining criminal information from the community. The principles they have established are in place for a reason and that reason is to always keep the lines of communication open. So, for example, if a crime is committed in a neighborhood where there is a regular patrol, witnesses will be more likely to talk to that police officer they know about what they saw than anyone else. It's really about connecting and getting to know the people around you, just like in any normal situation. Community members are considered to be of greater value to the police than they would normally be with community policing. Peak states that “the opinions of community members have a greater status under community policing than under the traditional policing model” (2015, Pg, 98). Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a.