Community policing as a tool for combating insecurity: a study of Nairobi province

Abstract

This thesis seeks to examine how improved partnership between the police and the community can achieve better results in a compacting crime. It examines and analyses social, economic and political factors that underpin the successful working of community policing. Community Policing reflects a marketing approach to serving the community, while those previous efforts constituted selling. What that means is that community-policing attempts to meet the demands made by consumers, in this case the community is the client and Police the service provider. This means that various needs of the clients must be taken into account to enable the rendering of a professional client centered service that is effective, efficient and accountable. The study also examines and analyses institutional factors critical to successful implementation of community policing. The establishment of partnership structures is the cornerstone of the system and provides an opportunity for the police and the community to analyze persistent problems within the city and identify appropriate solutions. Problem oriented policing does not concentrate on crime, but on information gathering in order to prevent rather than to react to it. In sum, the key to

success is the involvement and consultation of citizens to counter the obstacles raised by crime and feelings of insecurity. The true challenge for many police forces is to engage in active partnership with civil society and in particular with local authorities in sharing responsibility for persistent problems.

The major considerations in Community Policing are, citizens' input into defining problems to be solved, citizens' involvement in planning and implementing problem solving activities and citizens' determining if their felt needs have been met. Efforts towards this end will have to be based on knowledge on the deeper nature of community policing. It will require transformation of society on one hand and police on the other. It will

necessarily involve partnerships based on trust, respect,shared ideas and understanding.