U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Surfing the Crime Net: Issues and Challenges in Police-Community Relations

NCJ Number
208798
Journal
Crime Prevention and Community Safety: An International Journal Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Dated: 2005 Pages: 63-68
Author(s)
Jon Garland
Date Published
2005
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article reviews some of the more useful Internet Web sites that address issues in local community policing in Great Britain, particularly the policing of diverse populations.
Abstract
The Web sites reviewed focus on new developments in community policing, such as community support officers and neighborhood wardens, as well as resources committed to the policing of diverse populations. One of the Web sites considered is the British Home Office's "Police Reform" site (www.policereform.gov.uk/implementation/community_support_officers.html). A complementary site focuses on police community support officers (PCSO's), providing information for existing and prospective PCSO's (www.national-pcsos.co.uk/). Another Web site provides information on the Metropolitan Police's implementation of PCSO's (www.met.police.uk/pcso/). Other reviewed Web sites on community policing focus on issues of community safety. There are a host of Web sites related to the policing of diversity, reflecting its prominence as one of the most debated topics in policing in Great Britain. This article analyzes those sites developed by national or statutory organizations, those belonging to particular police staff organizations (e.g., the Gay Police Association and the Jewish Police Association), and a few media sites. One of the more informative sites on the policing of minority ethnic communities is that of the Metropolitan Police Authority's "Stop and Search Scrutiny Panel" at www.mpa.gov.uk/issues/stop-search/scrutiny.htm). The article notes that all of the sites mentioned are worth accessing, as each has distinctive assets that help the researcher understand the complexities of contemporary police-community debates, especially concerning the policing of diverse populations. 6 notes and 8 references