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Terrorism and Community Policing

NCJ Number
156371
Journal
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice Volume: 11 Issue: 1 Dated: (February 1995) Pages: 52-66
Author(s)
K Bryett
Date Published
1995
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This analysis of the role of community policing in the context of terrorism in United Kingdom and the United States emphasizes that the need to respond to terrorist violence requires skills quite different from those of the competent, community-oriented police officer.
Abstract
However, community-based, local officers will have to face terrorists, at least in the early stages. However, the community model focuses on community-police interaction through individual attention, the resolution of perceived problems in the community, and a focus on crime prevention. However, terrorism is unpredictable, is usually committed by persons unknown to the victim, is rarely committed by local persons, and can produce high levels of damage and injury. Investigating terrorism often requires large amounts of resources, which a police agency totally dedicated to the community policing ideal would not be able to provide. In addition, the community model disavows many of the skills and practices of the traditional paramilitary model, although these skills and practices are necessary for combating terrorism. Therefore, in the majority of cases terrorism will prevent community models of policing from completely replacing the earlier paramilitary models. Notes and 34 references (Author abstract modified)