Real community policing

The government is keen to explore new ways of making police services more responsive to local communities' needs and concerns. Local councils are best placed to deliver these goals says Anastasia Mulenga

Reducing crime is a pressing issue for local communities across the capital, and people are keen to have a greater say about local policing in their areas.

However, communities and their local councils currently have little say over how and what the local police are doing in their areas.

Many communities feel increasingly alienated from their local policing, believing the police to be out of touch with local needs, resulting in an increase in the perception and fear of crime in many communities.

Are sheriffs the answer?

The government has floated new ways of increasing local accountability in the police, including introducing directly elected representatives or 'sheriffs'.

The strongest argument for having elected officers is that it will increase the accountability of the police to their communities. Should the community be unhappy with the performance of the police in their area, they would then be able to vote them out when the next elections came up.

However, the arguments against having elected officers far outweigh the advantages. Single-purpose elections will lead to fragmentation of public services at the very time that we need joined-up solutions to complex problems. Directly elected 'sheriffs' could also raise concerns about the level of control and influence invested in a single person. With fewer checks and balances there are also fears that a 'sheriff' elected from a single issue grouping could have negative effects on community cohesion.