2.2 Stakeholders in community policing

Policing is example of a community service with a complex range of stakeholders. Take a look at Figure 3. These are just some of the stakeholders we can identify in community policing

Figure 4 The stakeholders in community policing

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Series of three concentric circles each containing text.

Smallest central inner circle contains the phrase ‘ Community Policing’

First outer circle is labelled ‘Primary Stakeholders’ at 12 o’clock and contains the following examples in a clockwise direction around the circle: Home Office; Police Officers; PCSOs/Community Safety Wardens; Police Force; Neighbourhood crime prevention groups; Local, regional and national governments; other community services; local politicians; local media; community members.

Second, outermost circle is labelled ‘Secondary stakeholders at 12 o’clock and contains the following examples in a clock-wise direction around the circle: probation and offender rehabilitation services; prosecuting authorities; police leadership bodies; national media; national voluntary crime prevention organizations; policing professional bodies; judiciary; national police service organizations e.g. NCA; National politicians.

Figure 4 The stakeholders in community policing

The inner ring of the diagram – directly circling community policing – depicts the primary stakeholders. These are individuals and groups that have a direct, specific interest in how community policing is run, its mission, its effectiveness and other day-to-day issues.

The outer area depicts the secondary stakeholders, who may also have an interest in the community policing but perhaps not as directly or as specifically as those in the inner circle. Of course, secondary stakeholders can also take a direct interest – for example, in the case of inter-service partnerships, the partners will want to ensure that partnership commitments are being upheld by the police force in question.

Watch this video of Ben Hargreaves, a Chief Inspector in Dorset Police, talking about the work of neighbourhood advisory groups in community policing. Where do you think these groups will fit on Figure 4 above.

Download this video clip.Video player: boc_cps_1_video_week2_interview_hargreaves_upload.mp4

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Transcript

INTERVIEWER:

Ben, could you tell us a little about who you are and what you do.

BEN HARGREAVES:

Yes, I'm Ben Hargreaves. I'm a Chief Inspector in Dorset Police. And I'm responsible for neighbourhood policing in eastern North Dorset. It's an area that's made up of a number of small market towns and quite a big rural community as well. So it's quite a diverse area to work in.

INTERVIEWER:

OK. From your perspective, what are the main objectives of community or neighbourhood policing.

BEN HARGREAVES:

I think, for me, the main objectives really are to ensure that the police has an effective engagement strategy, so that we are able to reach, not only the parts of the community that are easy to access, but also those that are hard to hear. So an understanding of the demographics, and understanding of age groups, and an understanding of the interests of the people that we're policing.

INTERVIEWER:

Who do you see as the main stakeholders in shaping community policing?

BEN HARGREAVES:

I think that there is a clear role for some of the statutory partners. I think local authorities are a big stakeholder. I'd also really like to focus on people who are volunteering. So that might be in neighbourhood watch schemes. It may be in the wider charity sector, and people who are key figures in faith communities as well. All of these people have a big role to play in community safety and community policing.

So in the past, we've relied heavily on schemes like neighbourhood watch and a range of community voluntary groups. But what we have to recognise is that people's lives are changing. And some of those groups might not be here in the future. So age of participants is changing. The way people like to meet is changing. So in the past, we've focused on physical spaces, so getting people to buildings, to street corners. But in the future, it might be the online space where we have to encourage people to participate.

INTERVIEWER:

So can you think of some examples of the kinds of impact that some of these key stakeholders have on community policing?

INTERVIEWER:

Yes, I think that quite often the police are very reliant on their own data to try and predict what's going on in communities. So we'll look at crime trends and types of incidents that have happened. But the really rich source of information has to come from the people in the communities. So I think making sure the channels are open, so that people can communicate what's actually happening right at the grassroots level, is really important, because that does have a direct impact on policing.

INTERVIEWER:

So is there a specific example or scenario that you can think that illustrates that a little bit more?

BEN HARGREAVES:

Yes, I think that a particular example would be around one particular housing estate in Dorset. And this could be probably transposed to anywhere in the country, but a problem with antisocial behaviour, particularly youth related. And through a process of engagement and engagement across the community, bringing people in, who perhaps hadn't been involved before, the neighbourhood policing team were able to engage in a problem solving process that really used the community to its own advantage and actually got it to solve some of its own problems by starting to take responsibility for things that were well within their control.

INTERVIEWER:

Thank you very much, Ben.

BEN HARGREAVES:

Thank you.

End transcript

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