Local policing to cope with perceived insecurity

The Chamber of Local Authorities of the Congress has invited its members to form local police forces, which  prove well-placed to counter fear of crime and lower the crime figures..

UK representative Sandra Barnes, presenting a report on local policing in Europe to the combined Chambers of Local and Regional Authorities on Tuesday, deplored the fact that while European crime figures are comparatively stable, the sense of insecurity is growing. These community police are well-placed to allay the fear of crime, and play a positive part according to the report, which emphasises the example of Belgium where crime has appreciably regressed in certain towns. The report goes on to say that there is a heightened sense of social cohesion in the communities in which these police forces serve..

The Chamber of Local Authorities of the Congress viewed as encouraging the results recorded by the communities which have instituted these local police forces, and it adopted a resolution inviting its member to follow their example. Prevention of crime, in the estimation of the rapporteurs, is no longer regarded as a function peculiar to the police; rather, it is a community challenge demanding a collective response.

The local representatives point out nonetheless that the local police should operate in accordance with democratic principles and in the framework of a partnership uniting all those actively involved in security issues. Local police, they emphasise in their resolution, must be accountable for their acts, answerable to the local community, aware of the needs of the local population, and able to find solutions at the local level. They also ask the national authorities to establish the legislative structure which defines the relationship of local police with the national police, and to support the establishment of the European Observatory for Crime Prevention.

Report