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Problem Oriented Policing Essay

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Problem Oriented Policing

Problem-oriented policing presents an alternative approach to policing that has gained attention in recent years among many police agencies. Problem-oriented policing grew out of twenty years of research into police practices, and differs from traditional policing strategies in four significant ways.
· First, problem-oriented policing enables police agencies to be more effective. Currently, police agencies commit most of their time to responding to calls for service. Problem-oriented policing offers a more effective strategy by addressing the underlying conditions that prompt calls for service. Often, many of the calls for service are related and, if grouped together, disclose a pattern of activity or …show more content…

· Fourth, problem-oriented policing recognizes that a great deal of the information needed to thoroughly understand a problem is not contained in a police agency's files. As a result, problem-solving officers are encouraged to draw on a wide range of sources of information from outside the department to analyze and address problems.
The Key Elements of Problem-Oriented Policing
· A problem is the basic unit of police work, rather than a crime, a case, a call, or an incident. A problem is a group of crimes, cases, calls, or incidents.
· A problem is something that concerns or causes harm to citizens, not just the police. Things that concern only police officers are important, but they are not problems in this sense of the term.
· Addressing problems means more than quick fixes; it means dealing with conditions that create problems.
· Police officers must routinely and systematically investigate problems before trying to solve them, just as they routinely and systematically investigate crimes before making and arrest. Individual officers and the department as a whole must develop routines and systems for investigating problems.
· The investigation of problems must be thorough, even thorough, even though it may not need to be complicated. This principle is as true for problem investigation as it is for criminal investigation.
· Problems must be described precisely and accurately, and broken down

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