Human-centred policing is a moral kindness, benevolence, and sympathy extended towards all parties that call on the police without compromising the due processes and legal framework within which the police operate. Human dignity is about respecting people and ensuring they still have a sense of worth and pride irrespective of the situation they find themselves in, whether victim, complainant, suspect, accused, or witness.
It is the process of mobilising police personnel and resources and enhancing their knowledge, skill, and technique to render impartial service to people affected by crime or violence (victims, perpetrators, and witnesses) without hurting their dignity as humans.
In the quest to maintain law and order, police officers need to have a good rapport with the public based on mutual trust and respect. A crime must be fought without making a mockery of the dignity of the people involved. The dignity of all persons must always be upheld while following the due process of the law firmly.
The police deliver a pure service through interaction with people of different character traits. It is imperative to avoid acts that are dehumanising and cause people to question their self-worth. To effectively implement human-centred policing, the police need to know their clients very well to ensure the public is served better.
This can be done through the implementation of the following benchmarks to enhance police-public relations:
- The police must have the competence to analyse the actions of clients to decide on an appropriate course of action.
- The ability to quickly visualise the character traits of clients without resorting to extreme violence and physical abuse
- All police officers must be trained to have good communication skills and equipped with problem-solving skills and critical thinking capabilities.
- Coordination across ranks of the service.
- Police must have good knowledge of the operating laws and legal procedures regarding public engagements.
The concept of human-centred policing is hinged on two mechanisms, namely:
Accountability: It is the process of taking account of the actions and inaction of the police and holding them accountable, primarily in the exercise of police powers by the appointing authority.
Responsibility: It is the ability of the police to be up to task and demonstrate the capacity to perform its legal obligation in accordance with internationally accepted police ethics and standards.
These two mechanisms ensure that the law enforcement agency and the state account for the actions of officers and hold them responsible, and also provideways by which the public can safely and legitimately report concerns and complaints against the unprofessional conduct of officers, and get redress where appropriate.
Information from the community is paramount in ensuring the best police practices and crime fighting, the conduct of the police will most likely affect the public perception of the institution whether negatively or positively. Communal interaction between the police and potential callers is a good recipe for buying public confidence, termed the spill-over effect. It refers to the situation where the conduct of the police during engagement with clients/public (suspects, accused, witnesses, mob, etc.) influences the public perception of the police, which may be positive or negative, subsequently affecting public confidence in the institution.
The spill-over effect is fuelled by two agents:
Direct Agents: These refer to the people who have had direct interaction with the police in the course of seeking their service and are directly affected by the conduct of a member(s) of the service. E.g., complainants, witnesses, suspects.
Indirect Agents: Theserefer to the people who hear information about the conduct of the police through a party who was directly affected by the police action or inaction. e.g., opinion leaders, family members, church members, etc. In ensuring that the police positively leverage the effects of the spill-over effect to their advantage to build a positive image, they must prioritize feedback, education, communication, an anti-corruption drive, community engagement, continuous capacity building, monitoring, and evaluation.
In conclusion, the police’s mandate is to serve the community without blemish, and as the first point of call in internal security, public trust is an essential ingredient. The community must support the police with the necessary information to ensure proactive crime-fighting, and the police must exhibit a high sense of integrity to enhance public confidence.
Author:
Frank Okyere Darko Appenteng
MSc LSM, MSc Acct & Fin, BSc PSCM, LLB, Dip F Acct.
Certified Vehicle Crime Specialist
Email: frank.darko@police.gov.gh
