The delivery of
community policing in Scotland is inconsistent, according to a
Report from the Scottish Parliament's Justice Committee.
Publishing the report of its Inquiry into Community Policing, the
committee concludes that despite good work being done in Scotland,
the majority of Scottish police forces do not have clear community
policing strategies.
Committee Convener Bill Aitken MSP said:
"In the course of this inquiry the committee encountered
many good examples of effective policing in communities in
Scotland. However, it also found that the experience of community
policing was not universally positive.
"The committee has set out its vision to demonstrate how it
believes community policing could be improved and made more
consistent without losing local flexibility. As part of this
vision the committee recommends that community police officers are
in post for at least two years and are not regularly called away
from their duties to support other police operations."
The committee makes further observations on -
* Additional police numbers committed by the Scottish Government
to enhance delivery of community policing.
* The Scottish Government's approach to community policing
and whether this could be more effective.
Background
Following the conclusion of the Committee's
Inquiry into the Effective Use of Police Resources in January
2008, the committee agreed to undertake specific consideration of
community policing.
The initial remit for the inquiry was-
"To review the
purpose and effectiveness of community policing in Scotland
including consideration of the definition of community policing
and the resources currently available for community policing."
The Committee began work on the inquiry with a series of
fact-finding visits to Dundee, the Borders and Lanarkshire in
April and May, before taking oral evidence in May and June.
Further information on the inquiry, including its remit, can be
viewed on the Committee's web pages:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/committees/justice/PoliceResourcesHomepage.htm
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