Different Models of Policing
The organization of police in different countries is primarily rooted on the socio-cultural
and historical background of the country.
For example, in the UK which has a long tradition of parliamentary democracy,
policing works on the principle of consent by the population, whereas in most
other countries, policing power is vested in the state by law.
As such the police organizations have nothing in common in many countries except
their basic goals (in some jurisdictions even these goals do not match). However,
criminologists have tried to bring out common features in police structures would
over on the basis of certain features, the most prominent of them being the command
architecture.
1. Classification based on legitimacy or legal backing of police function.
Policing by consent (It should be noted that it refers to the power of the police
coming from the common consent of the public, public co-operation with the
police, induced by them designedly by behaviour which secures and
maintains for them the approval, respect and affection of the public.
Policing by law
2. Classification based on Command structure
Centralized (organizations, primary decisions are made by the person or persons
at the top of the organization)
Decentralized (organizations delegate decision-making authority throughout the
organization)
Single/Singular (one person coordinates the incident. It is most useful in smaller,
single-jurisdictional incidents) In this model classification is based on two
dimensions:
A. Number of forces to be commanded:
Singular Model: If the entire police force in the country is organized as a
single force under a single commander.
*Saudi Arabia is a typical model of centralized coordinated police force with a
singular line of command emanating from the King, The Police known as Public Security
police is responsible for general policing throughout the country and derives its
authority from Executive Orders and the Shariah.
*China is another model of Singular Coordinated Centralized police force.
*The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) is a functional organization under the State
Council in charge of public security work nationwide
Multiple Model: If in a single country, there are a number of police forces, like in
India. o Multiple Coordinated: If the police forces have well defined
territories of functioning and their functions do not overlap each other.
Multiple Uncoordinated, if the case is reversed as in India, where many agencies
can have overlapping jurisdictions.
France is a typical example of a police force with Multiple Coordinated
centralized force. France has two national law enforcement agencies:
Police Nationale, formerly called the Sûreté- a civilian force; primary
responsibility in urban areas.
Gendarmerie Nationale is primary responsibility in rural area. B. Type of forces:
Coordinated Centralized: If the police forces in a country is highly organized and
having a centralized command police force.
Decentralized Command Structure: If the police forces in a country do not
have an apparent centralized command structure.
What is Multicultural Policing
It is a type of policing that addresses problems concerning cultural relations, to mitigate
acts of discrimination and improve police officers’ understanding of racial and
ethnic diversity in the communities they serve. The following are the four types of
multicultural societies in the world that comparatists study:
1. Folk-communal societies
A folk-communal society has little codification law, no specification among police, and a
system of punishment that just lets things go for a while without attention until
things become too much, and then harsh, barbaric punishment is resorted to.
Classic examples, include the early Roman gentles, African and Middle Eastern
tribes, and Puritan settlements in North America (with the Salem “witch trials”).
Are also called primitive societies
Are often seen as primitive and barbaric, they have little specialization
among law enforcers, and let many problems go unpunished to avoid over-
criminalization however, once tempers “boil over” and the situation becomes a
larger issue, harsh and unusual punishment may be administered.
Examples are African or Middle Eastern Tribes, or early puritan settlements of
America.
2. Urban-commercial societies
Which rely on trade as the essence of their market system.
An urban-commercial society has civil law (some standards and customs
are written down), specialized police forces (some for religious offenses,
others for enforcing the King’s Law), and punishment is inconsistent,
sometimes harsh, sometimes lenient.
Most of Continental Europe developed along this path.
3. Urban-industrial societies
Which produce most of the goods and services they need without
government interference.
An urban-industrial society not only has codified (statutes that prohibit) but
laws that prescribe good behavior, police become specialized in how to handle
property crimes, and the system of punishment is run on market principles
of creating incentives and disincentives.
England and the US followed this positive legal path.
4. Bureaucratic societies
Are modern post-industrial societies where the emphasis is upon technique
of the “technologizing” of everything, with the government.
A bureaucratic society has a system of laws (along with armies of lawyers),
police who tend to keep busy handling political crime and terrorism, and a
system of punishment characterized by over criminalization and overcrowding.
The US and perhaps only eight other nations fit the bureaucratic pattern. o
Juvenile delinquency is a phenomenon that only occurs in a bureaucratic society.
Are today’s modern society. They feature fully developed laws, lawyers,
and police forces trained for multiple types of crime
