Problem-Oriented Policing: Elements, Processes, Implications

In the early 1980s, the notion of community policing emerged as the dominant direction for thinking about policing. It was designed to reunite the police with the community. It is a philosophy and not a specific tactic; a proactive, decentralized approach, designed to reduce crime, disorder, and fear of crime. Later, problem-oriented policing evolved (being first articulated by Herman Goldstein in 1979), which was grounded in principles different from but complementary to community policing. Problem-oriented policing is a strategy that puts the community policing philosophy into practice. It advocates that police examine the underlying causes of recurring incidents of crime and disorder. The problem-solving process, SARA, helps officers to identify problems, analyze them completely, develop response strategies, and assess the results.

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