CRIME

Crime, as described by criminologists is any rational human conduct that violets a criminal law and is subject to punishment. It is a behavior that offends basic moral sentiments, such as respect for the property of others and revulsion against infliction of suffering.

Terrorism and crime are more prevalent than ever before. The public regularly witnesses violence and other illegal acts perpetrated by vicious, notorious persons. Billions of shillings and lives are frequently lost due to terrorism, theft, corruption, fraud, extortion, sabotage and kidnapping. While governments worldwide are putting measures in place to combat these criminal acts, the public, the most vulnerable is still exposed to the terror. When businesses or people fall victim to the effects of disaster or conflict, the most critical period can be the time taken to respond, take control, and restore normality to the situation. Many have lost their lives or their conditions worsened due to naivety in emergency response. It should be noted with serious concern that although the government has the responsibly of protecting its citizens against such risks, the burden of protecting facilities and training their people are entirely the employers’. And indeed well secured facilities and well-trained personnel save companies or governments a great deal by averting serious consequences. Due to its diversity of skills, PHAMA Foundation has tailored trainings to be facilitated to protect communities from a host of the vicious acts and defuse panic. This is the only organization in the country with the best trained professionals in Crime prevention, terrorism, and explosive related threats, and with the longest experience in the field.

a. Community Policing

PHAMA Foundation is working with the communities and their Community Based Organizations (CBOs) in Western Kenya to help them develop capacities to influence the cause of poverty. To strengthen the capabilities of the poor, especially women, to meet their basic needs, claim their rights and demand accountability from the state, PHAMA Foundation has the following strategies;

• Strengthen the organizational capacity of CBOs by improving their internal governance structures, finances and management systems, skills, knowledge and abilities.
• Promote an active culture that emphasizes the right to information and support the community and CBOs to demand information from all actors, including government, other NGOs and PHAMA Foundation itself in order to promote local accountability to the poor. Work with CBOs to find sustainable solutions that address the immediate conditions of poverty (including HIV/AIDS) and provide support where necessary. Raise levels of consciousness among CBOs about rights and the entitlement they can lay claim to with respect to basic services.
• Promote community-police partnership in the fight against crime by creating enabling environment for the two to work consultatively in addressing the problems affecting the community in accordance to the Community Policing concept.
• Secure greater gender equality and women's empowerment and influence in the development process.

What is community policing?

Community policing is both a philosophy and a program. As a philosophy, it should influence everything police and the community do. As a program, it uses specific, practical measures, such as prevention and enforcement strategies.
Although the concept of Community Policing has been around for some time, it still doesn’t have a clear, universally accepted definition. In fact, Community Policing ends up being something a little different in each place it’s used.
Why? Partly because community policing uses a wide range of efforts to accomplish its goals. It is flexible in order to work with communities’ differing resources, problems, and levels of commitment to the concept.

PHAMA Foundation defines community policing as follows:

Community policing is both a philosophy and a strategy that enables the police and the community to consultatively work closely together in creative ways to solve the problems of crime, fear of crime, antisocial behavior and social disorder, neighborhood insecurity, and the overall quality of life in the community. The philosophy rests on the belief that the law-abiding citizens in the community have the obligation to participate in the concept, in exchange for police mutual trust and confidence. Overall, the two parties enter into partnership to address the problems concertedly. It also rests on the belief that solutions to contemporary community problems demand freeing both community and police to explore creative ways to address insecurity beyond a narrow focus on individual crime incidents.

One might find some slight difference in the definition from other community oriented policing due to the approach in dealing with the community and the police, but the intended goal and outcome remain the same: to imrove the overall quality of life in communities.

THE TEN PRINCIPLE OF COMMUNITY POLICING

To help understand and effectively implement the concept, are the following ten principles of community polcing:

(i) PHILOSOPHY AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGY

Community policing is both a philosophy and a strategy that enables the police and the community to consultatively work closely together in creative ways to solve the problems of crime, fear of crime, antisocial behavior and social disorder, neighborhood insecurity, and the overall quality of life in the community. The philosophy rests on the belief that the law-abiding citizens in the community have the obligation to participate in the concept, in exchange for police mutual trust and confidence. Overall, the two parties enter into partnership to address the problemsconertedly. It also rests on the belief that solutions to contemporary community problems demand freeing both community and police to explore creative ways to address insecurity beyond a narrow focus on individual crime incidents.

(ii) COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT

Community policing’s organizational strategy first demands that everyone in the Police Force, must investigate ways to translate the philosophy of power-sharing into practice. This demands making a subtle but sophisticated shift so that everyone in the Police Force understands the need to focus on solving community problems in creative new ways, that can include challenging and enlightening people in the process of policing themselves. Community policing implies a shift within the Force that grants greater autonomy (freedom to make decisions) to line officers, which also implies enhanced respect for their judgement as law enforcement proffesionals. Within the community, citizens must share in the rights and responsibilities implicit in identifying, priotizing, and solving problems, as full-edged partners with law enforcement officers.

(iii) DECENTRALIZED AND PERSONALIZED POLICING

To implement true community policing, the Police Force must also create and develop a new breed of line officer who acts as a direct link between the law enforcement department and the people in the community (the government has trained and posted a community policing officer at least in every Police Division). Community policing officers must be freed from the isolation of the patrol car and the demands of the police radio so they can maintain daily, direct, face-to-face contact with the people they serve in a clearly defined beat area. Ultimately, all officers sholud practice the community policing approach.

(iv) IMMEDIATE AND LONG-TERM PROACTIVE PROBLEM SOLVING

The sustained policing officer’s broad role demands continous, sustained contact with the law-abiding people in the community, so that together they can explore creative new solutions to local concerns, with private citizens serving as suppoters and as volunteers. As law enforcemnt officers, community policing officers respond to calls for service and make arrests, but they also go beyond this narrow focus to develop and monitor broad-based, long –term initiatives that can involve all elements of the community in efforts to improve the overall quality of life. As the community’s ombudsman, the community policing officer also acts as a link to other private security companies that can help in a given situation.

(v) ETHICS, LEGALITY, RESPONSIBILITY AND TRUST

Community policing implies a new contract between the law enforcement officers and the citizens they serve, one that offers hope of overcoming widespread apathy while restraining any impulse of vigilantism. This new relationship, based on mutual trust and respect, also suggests that law enforcemnt can serve as a catalyst, challenging people to accept their share of responsibility for the overall quality of life in the community. Commnuity policing means that citizens will be asked to handle more of their minor concerns themselves, but in exchange this will free law enforcement officers to work with people on developing immediate as well long-term solutions for community concerns in ways that encourage mutual accountability and respect.

(vi) EXPANDING THE POLICE MANDATE

Community policing adds a vital, proactive element to the traditional reactive role of law enforcemnt, resulting in full-spectrum policing service. As the only department of social control open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, law enforcemnt must maintain the ability to respond immediately to crises and cirme incidents, but community policing broadens the law enforcement role so that they can make a greater impact on making changes today that hold the promise of making communities safer and more attractive places to live tommorow.

(vii) HELPING THOSE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Community policing stresses exploring new ways to protect and enhance the lives of those who are most vulnerable-juveniles, the elderly, the poor, the disabled, the homeless. It both assimilates and broadens the scope of previous outreach efforts such as crime prevention and police-community relations.

(viii) GRASS-ROOTS CREATIVITY AND SUPPORT

Community policing promotes the judicious use of technology, but it also rests on the belief that nothing surpasses what dedicated human beings, talking and working together, can achieve. It invets trust in those who are on the street, relying on their combined judgemnt, wisdom and experience to fashion creative new approaches to contemporary community concerns.

(ix) INTERNAL CHANGE

Community policing must be a fully intergrated approach that involves everyone in the the Police Force, with community policign officers serving as generalists who bridge the gap between the lPolice and the people they serve. The community policing approach plays a crucial role internally by providing information about and awareness of the community and its problems, and by enlisting broad-based community support for the department’s overa;; objectives. Once community policing is accepted as the long-term strategy, all officers should practice it. This could take as long as ten to fifteen years.

(x) BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

Community policing provides decentralized, personalized law enforcement service to the community. It recognizes that law enforcement cannot impose order on the community for the outside, but that people must be encouraged to think of the Police as a resource that they can use in helping to solve contemporary community concerns. It is not a tactic to be applied and then abandoned, but a new philosophy and organizational strategy that provides the flexibility to meet local needs and priorities as they change over time.
Our reader will realise that these principles mostly emphasis on the position of the police and their role in community policing. Nevertheless, community policing being a partnership between the police and the community, it is only befiting to also highlight the platform the latter enjoys in the partnership.

THE ROLE OF COMMUNITY IN COMMUNITY POLICING

The introduction of community policing is the most prudent thing crime prevetion has ever enjoyed in this country. The only huddles in the way of this concept are lack of government incentive to the community to embrace it, and the soar relationship between the police and the community. However PHAMA Foundation has unequaled solutions to the huddles, thanks to its hand-on experience with the UN in conflict areas and the professional expertise of its members.

(i) Partnership

Community policing is a shared responsibility between Police and citizens. The community is a full partner in community policing. Citizens deserve to have input in the policing process, in exchange for their cooperation and support of law enforcement. Citizens need to build ownership in community policing to ensure its success in their community. The community assumes this role of partner through an open exchange of information between citizens and law enforcement and a mutual respect for the role each has in the community policing process.

(ii) Vision

In order to achieve success in community policing, there must be a community-wide vision and commitment to the process. Individuals, community collaboratives and organizatins must commit to community policing and have as a common goal its implementation. It is also a sad state of affair that there are hardly any communities in Kenya as most households, apart from groups like the Masais, have adapted individualistic way of living. As its inevitable to have communities to partner with the police, PHAMA Foundation strngly feels there should be initiative to encourage people to build communities.

(iii) Community policing improves quality of life

Community policing may flourish and enhance the quality of life in all types of areas, regardless of social and ecomic conditions within the community. Some communities may be less interested in community policing because they feel it is unnecessary, and it will be the duty of residents alread committed to community policing within that area to educate others in the philosophy of community policing and how it will meet the particular needs within their community. Citizens in an economically advantaged neighborhood might feel the prescence of community policing officers on their streets is unnecessary or intrusive. A resident committed to community policing might explain to neighbors that officers will get to know residents better by walking the neighborhoods and in turn be more committed to swerving them. An officer, for instance, might meet a resident who has a problem and offer to assist.

(iv) Community must own community policing

The Kenya Police traditional motto “Service To All” (Utumishi Kwa Wote). Under community policing, citizens will be assited by law enforcement in finding ways to better protect themselves, with a renewed committment to service. In order to be effectively served, it will be the responsibility of the community to convey to the police specific needs and concerns. Community forums, or groups of citizens meeting to discuss particular issues of concern, will be useful to help shape community policing initiatives and the directions they will take as the community changes.

(v) There should be change of attitude

For an evolution in policing to occur, community and other stakeholders perceptions might need to change regarding the role of law enforcement in the community. Citizens often feel that in the past officers have entered areas within the community to respond to service calls, yet failed to provide the range of services needed to actually solve the problems of the residents.Inner city residents, for instance, might discover that although the serious issues of gangs is not immediately eliminated by the prescence of a community policung officer in their area, changa brewing and house breaking are reduced.The community should realize that community policing will not be implemented and immediately solve all of its existing problems. Initially, officers responding to calls will be learning how to diagnose problems, and make appropriate referrals. It will take time to develop and tailor community policing to the needs of the community, as well as build respect and trust between law enforcement and residents.

(vi) Citizens need to understand the police duty

Police and the community alike should work to understand and develop expectations for law enforcement, and what can reasonably be provided to meet community needs. To achieve this, citizens should be educated in the role of law enforcement, and what some of its problems and concerns entail. Citizens should be informed of the many services law enforcement agencies currently provide, as well as service not included, and where they might receive those services.

(vii) Citizens should understand the law

Providing capacity building on community policing is aspecially helpful in educating citizens in the role law enforcement plays in the community. Through various cources usually provided, citizens learn the basics of law enforcement and the cruminal justice system. Courses include topics such as crisis intervention, crime prevention,duties of lawenforcement officers and person and property crimes. these courses are designed to prepare citizens to see the inner workings of law enforcement and develop realistic expectations toward them in the future.

Another way to introduce community policing to citizens unfamiliar with it is to show them its positive effects within the community. Testimonials from officers, civic leaders and residents themselves showing how needs and concerns in a community are met through community policing and its initiatives will serve to educate citizens.This will also enable them to have confidence in the police and eventually a committment to community policing.

(iii)The community need to be innovative in community policing

The incentive to implement community policing may come from within the community itself. Local administration, count, councils, and individual residents can all provide the initial impetus for community policing. For a less formalized neighborhood, community groups such as the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), schools and church groups provide a good starting place. Resource teams consisting of community members and other agency members, can organize neighborhood organizations into a cohesive unit for community policing. Although financial incentives alone cannot provide the foundation for a commitment to community policing, they prove to be helpful in creating initial incentive for implemanting it. Financial incentives to rebuild neighborhoods and their resource bases, can often bring residents together to mobilize and work toward common goals within the community, through businesses and local groups, or from block grants and Bryne monites available.

(iv)Consultative approach partnership

Neighbrohoods have strength under community poliving. A neighborhood united is stronger than any individual resident. Areas already informally defined through a community of interest can actively encourage law enforcement to recognize the areas as beats for community policing purposes. Once defined, residents should continue to communicate issues and concerns to law enforcement and problem-solve with help from the community policing officers.
Citizens can serve their communities by reminding law enforcement of its commitment and mission to community policing, and the need to stay on course with planned initiatives. Citizens will also discover that they can do many things to meet the needs in their own Neighborhoods. Under community policing, Neighborhood Watch groups will continue to serve a vital function in promoting crime prevention and supporting community iinitiatives. Neighborhood Watch groups should recognize that changes might occur due to officers being reassigned or Police stations/divisions realigned (as it happened in Ongata Rongai ang Ngong being annex to Nairobi).which are all aimed at improving the communities quality of life.
Citizen involvement brings not only problem-solving skills and empowerment to the neighborhood level, but also unification to work toward lasting changes for the community. Parents can teach children the importance of volunteering. They can encourage children to participate in community projects so that when they are older, their ownership in the community spans a generation.

Although community policing is yet to be entrenched in our constitution, it should be noted that once a generation has commited to community policing, it can actively strive for industrilazation of community policing. Especially in cases where the individuals who first intiated community policing are replaced by a newly appointed administration, citizens can seek to educate the incoming administration, and petition for the continuation of community policing into the future.
The citizens can also take part in the development of policies which affect the community itself. When the police drafts policies regarding certain duties of community policing oficers, representatives from the community might serve on the review committee to determine if the proposed policies coincide with the actual needs and concerns of the community. Not only will the community be better served through their involvement, but policies will be created and implemanted for long-term use with the active participation of the community.

(v) Training is very important

To involve citizens at these various levels of service, it is important to train community members in community policing and related skills. Initial training should cover the philosophy of community policing, as well as community organization and mobilization skills. Leadership skills and communication skills might be offered through the Police itself or relevnt government department, if any, or NGOs which often provide seminars and lectures at a low cost or even free of charge. Skills in volunteer recruitment will prove invaluable when residents search for volunteers in their neighborhoods to serve on community boards, as representatives at community policing meetings or for specific events.

As a new concept, there are many non-traditional groups like Security Companies, NGOs etc that are sometimes overlooked when searching for support from the community policing. These groups may not represent a majority in the community, yet the resources and energy they may bring to support community policing are enormous. Each group may serve in a different capacity, but all will strengthen and promote the success of community policing.

(vi) The Youth in Community Policing

Youth should be active participants in community policing. They account for one of the largest categories of victims of crime, as well as frequent perpetrators of criminal activity. To involve young people in community policing and problem-solving will both increase their ownership in the policing process and provide law enforcement and the community with a valuable perspective that might otherwise never be known. Youth should meet with community policing officers in their neighborhoods to discuss issues which concern them in their community. They can also speak at community meetings or at youth gatherings to serve by example. Community recreation centres, businesses that employ young people, churches, and Youth groups are some of the places where youth can get involved in community issues and work with other citizens to affect change in their neighborhoods.

(vii) Involvement of Schools and Unversity Colleges in Community Policing

Primary and Secondary schools and University Colleges, should be engaged in the community policing process. Security Officers in Universities might already be practicing community policing within their environments, and can help educate school administrators, teachers and students in community policing. Or they can request the community policing forum in their area to provide education on the concept. By identifying issues, making appropriate referrals and providing programs and initiatives to students may also be invaluable in promoting community policing in the schools.

PHAMA Foundation realizes that such an important moral goodness is nowhere practiced in the country and has therefore embarked on implementing it in some parts of the country. It is also collaborating with other organizations and volunteers in teaching law related courses, counseling students on a number of topics, and organizing student competitions like mock Trials. Such, in the long run, will promote a positive image of law enforcement to the students through their ongoing commitment to community policing.

(viii) Leadership role of schools in community policing

Once committed to community policing, schools can support such strategies as truancy reduction programs to keep youth in school, mediation for conflicts between students, after-school and school holiday programs to keep students involved in constructive community activities and family and youth activities throughout the year for family interaction and support. Schools have an important leadership role in community policing. They are often the first experience youth have with formal community structure, and can serve to positively influence young citizens for future service in their communities.

(ix) The role of the media in community policing

The media is another community partner in the education and promotion of community policing. As educators of the public with an interest in the well-being of the community, the media has a role that is important and far-reaching. Local news and public access stations may provide programs on community policing topics( like most of them have been doing). Newspapers and radio and television stations may help sponsor and organize events to promote community policing, and report ongoing community policing efforts by residents.

(x) Community and Media partnership

The community may also assist in this process by letting the media know what issues are important to address in future programming. The community and the media can possibly have creative teamwork and develop mechanism to advise the government on issues relevant to the youth, for example. Through community involvement, the media may determine community policing topics that are needed and of particular interest to citizens, then tailor the programming to reach many groups of viewers and listeners throughout the community and the country.

(xi) Ministry of Social Services Gender and Sports role

Although many of our recreational facilities have been corruptly taken by individuals. This Ministry is an essential area for support of community policing. Without social services, many of the referrals needed to meet the needs of citizens would never be met. CBOs which are registered under the Ministry are doing a wonderful job in sensitizing the community on the concept. These groups and others need to be given incentives to continue enabling the community access the larger government-like systems into smaller satellite offices.

(xii) Corporate community role in community policing

Quit a good number of companies have been known to participate in development activities in Kenya. Safaricom, Bamburi Cement, Kenya Breweries, Total Kenya, just to mention but a few, have been ploughing part of their profits back to the community through development ventures. The corporate community should also become a part in community policing initiatives, and take ownership in the community in which they do business. Businesses benefit from a safer community environment. Shopping and other business activities in urban areas like Nairobi could go on to even midnight if the environment was safe. Close attention is given to how community issues may impact profitability and customer services with business.

Corporations and small businesses alike should encourage their employees to become a part of the communities where they work. Business might give employees time off to attend monthly community forums, or help design community-based initiatives. Corporate in communication could install phones in areas that will only allow individuals to place calls to areas of security concern, and in this way they could help to reduce unwanted activities in their neighborhoods. Business can also help in the implementation of community policing through financial support for initiatives throughout the community.

(Xiii) The role of Politicians

Without question, legislators and other elected officials have an integral role in the implementation of community policing. Once educated in its philosophy and committed to its progress, elected officials may work on long-term and meaningful proactive crime control measures in their constituencies and nationally. Elected officials might offer to speak on community policing at local meetings, or appear at fundraisers for community initiatives. They should also understand that Constituency Development Fund could also support the work of community policing. Parliamentarians committed to community policing should work to educate colleagues and strengthen the legislative base for its success and institutionalization.

(xiv)Information sharing in community policing

For community groups to work together and affect lasting changes, they will need to share information on a consistent basis as has been seen Ongata Rongai and Ngong areas. Public meetings, local newspapers and other publications, and coalitions will all help share information. The Police should be kept informed of these activities. Ongoing community input and involvement might be accomplished by developing a resource team consisting of community policing officers or, community leaders and citizens. Resource teams will help provide the information and means available to meet citizen concerns, and should include representatives from the many public and private service agencies.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the citizens own the neighborhoods and communities in which they live, work and play. Under community policing, citizens will also have ownership in their communities. Residents will refuse to accept crime and social conflicts as a way of life, and instead work to change old ways and patterns for better ones. Citizens are the first line of defense against potential crime. They often see its approach through small, everyday signs and can help discourage activities that left unnoticed may become crimes. Through the combined community policing efforts of individuals, community groups and the police, it is possible to restore neighborhoods that were once cohesive and free from fear of crime.