COMMUNITY POLICING - Problem-Oriented Policing

Problem Orientated Policing

Key Terms

Problem-solving attempts to address the underlying causes of crime and social disorder and, when properly implemented, represents the very essence of community policing. A key component of the problem-solving approach is the collaboration between the police and the community

A problem is a group or patterns of crime, cases, calls, or incidents that are of concern to the community and police, or both , and require a solution.

Collaborative problem-solving represents a major departure from traditional police practice. In this approach, the police and the community jointly define the problem, identify the various facets of the problem, and formulate and implement a strategy to address the problem.

The criminologist Herman Goldstein was the principle architect of POP. Goldstein emphasized that police work is problem-oriented and that it was necessary for the police to go beyond assessing whether a law had been violated to examine and address the underlying causes of crime and disorder in the community.

Problem-oriented policing is a policing strategy that involves the police taking a proactive approach to addressing the underlying causes of a particular problem as well as formulating a response designed to solve or alleviate the problem

The iceberg, or 80/20 rule is a key component of POP and holds that only a small portion of a problem is visible. In order to eliminate a problem the root causes must be attacked

SARA – is an acronym for SCANNING, ANALYSIS, RESPONSE and ASSESSMENT, the four steps of the problem solving process

The problem analysis triangle is utilized to understand a problem by considering its relation to the victim, the accused, and the location. These are the three requisites for a problem to exist. Applying the problem analysis triangle allows police officers to develop appropriate intervention strategies

The expert model of problem solving involves an “outside” person (the expert) identifying , analyzing, and developing a solution to a problem, while the collaborative approach to problem solving emphasizes shared responsibility between the community and outside experts to accomplish this

PARE – Acronym : PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION, ANALYSIS, RESPONSE and EVALUATION is a problem-solving model developed by the Ontario Provincial Police…similar to SARA

Problem Analysis filters are used by patrol officers and community residents to screen, prioritize, and rank problems. The “filters” include determining the impact, seriousness, and complexity of the problem.

Process evaluation involves analyzing the implementation of problem-solving strategies, while impact evaluations focuses on assessing the qualitative and quantitative outcomes, or consequences, of problem-solving strategies.