The increased incidence of police violence that occurred over the last years has raised interest in the treatment of inmates in the US jails and during arrest procedures (Wihbey & Kille, 2016). Numerous researchers investigated the problem of deaths in custody and found that the incidence of this issue was very high and many of such deaths remained uninvestigated (Pearl, 2015). In fact, Lantigua-Williams (2016) noted that almost 7000 deaths in custody were registered in the US between 2005 and 2015.
Also, according to the data of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (2017), the incidence of various manners of deaths in custody (intoxication, suicide, accidents) rose significantly over the last several years. The US state selected for the report concerning the deaths in custody in California. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (2017) mentioned California among the states with the highest rate of deaths in custody. Criminal justice authorities of this state have compiled a detailed report presenting statistics of deaths in custody. The authors of the report also provided diverse sets of data sorting the incidence of death in custody in the state of California by various features such as the demographic characteristics of the victims, the surrounding circumstances, and manners of death.
As presented in the report by McCrary and Raphael (2015), the largest number of deaths in custody occurred among sentenced inmates – about 400-450 in 2012 and 2013 and less than 400 in 2014. Deaths during the arrest process are the second most common incident, and over 150 deaths of this type were registered every year between 2012 and 2014 (McCrary & Raphael, 2015). Black individuals had the highest rate of arrest-related deaths – 3.59 percent, Native Americans had 1.35 percent, Hispanic people – 1.11 percent, and whites – 0.77 percent. Rates of pre-trial deaths showed a similar pattern, with Black and Native Americans having the highest percentages – 4.39 and 2.79 percent, respectively (McCrary & Raphael, 2015). The number of prison deaths was the highest among white inmates (almost 1.70 percent of the prison population); Black inmates had the second-largest rate – 0.92 percent (McCrary & Raphael, 2015). Among the leading causes of death in custody there are natural causes (61.39 percent), justifiable homicide by law enforcement (14.35 percent), suicide (10.53 percent), accidents (8.37 percent), and homicide by other inmates (2.75 percent) (McCrary & Raphael, 2015). Such causes of death as intoxications by alcohol and drugs are not mentioned in the report.
Death of multiple individuals
The discussion of excited delirium is focused on its validity as a cause of death of multiple individuals whose arrest was associated with violence and struggle between the affected individual and police officers. Practically, the question is whether this condition that is not recognized by American Psychiatric Association or the World Health Organization is a real health problem or a cover-up used as an excuse for police violence. In my opinion, the deaths of the two individuals discussed in the debate happened due to different causes. In particular, the first subject started showing signs of aggressive behavior before the police arrived to handle him. In fact, his violent and dangerous behavior was the reason why the police were called. The man was difficult to handle due to his very large size and because he was heavily intoxicated by two different types of drugs which were the likely cause of his state.
It was the duty of the officers to subdue the dangerous subject in order to provide medical help for him; however, none of their attempts to stop him from fighting were successful until the subject collapsed and soon stopped breathing. His delusional and aggressive behavior was caused by the abuse of intoxicating substances, one of which was cocaine. There exists medical research that links the set of symptoms known as excited delirium to two more conditions proposing that they may be a spectrum of a single illness (Takeuchi, Ahern, & Henderson, 2011). Practically, the cause of death of this man could be a combination of intoxication that causes delirium, a preexisting medical condition, and the exhausting fight with the police that eventually caused his heart to stop.
The situation with the second individual is very different. Even though there was a struggle during his arrest, the man was not intoxicated with any substances and at some point expressed the desire to cooperate with the police. However, he was tased in his chest multiple times before he died (Sullivan, 2007). Research by Zipes (2007) reviewed the results of several autopsies of subjects who died after being tased in their chests and found that Tasers can cause cardiac arrest in people of various ages and sizes with or without a preexisting heart condition. In that way, I have to conclude that the death of the second subject was caused by the excessive use of force from the side of the police. The fact that in both of these cases, the law enforcement organizations used excited delirium as an explanation of the deaths in custody means that this unrecognized concept of a condition is overused by the law authorities and can serve as a general excuse in most cases of deaths in custody regardless of it being unrealistic.
The job of police officers is closely connected with considerations of public health despite the general perception that two specializations have different approaches to reducing violence and ensuring the well-being of communities. There has been limited collaboration between public health researchers and criminologists for improving such outcomes as road traffic safety, substance abuse prevention, or prisoner health. The aim of the current reflection is discussing the encounters of a police officer with public health specialist on a daily basis for determining possible points of collaboration and identifying challenges that require addressing in the future.
To get first-hand information on how the law enforcement interacts with public health, an informal interview was held with a police officer, Mrs. Jones. According to the interviewee, both public health and policing have been complementary professions that addressed the most pressing public well-being challenges. Such issues as the opioid epidemic, human trafficking, sexual assault, suicides, gun violence, injuries related to traffic, intimate partner violence, and many others are all problems that public health professionals and law enforcement address on a daily basis. In particular, there are vast opportunities for both spheres to collaborate for the purpose of violence prevention within communities.
Mrs. Jones was honest and said that there were reoccurring cases in which the collaboration and communication between police officers and public health specialists were ineffective. She mentioned that special ‘levers’ were needed to change the behaviors of communities, improve their access to important services, and expand the body of knowledge through collaborative research (Greenberg & Frattaroli, 2017). In order to achieve success in this, law enforcement and public health should expand the understanding of each discipline and learn from real-life examples.
Mrs. Jones indicated that there were cases in which public health professionals failed to address the challenge of public endangerment. She described a situation in which a seriously injured patient tried to escape his ward and threatened a nurse with a knife. The healthcare staff in the facility took it upon themselves to calm the patient down, which resulted in one of the nurses being stabbed in the arm. Only after this altercation did the staff call law enforcement. Mrs. Jones said that had the nurses called the police initially, there would have had more chances of managing the situation effectively because of the support of skilled officers.
However, Mrs. Jones also admitted to herself not being very attentive to the collaboration with public health professionals. For example, she had a case of dealing with a road incident witness who was under the influence of a drug substance. The officer tried to ask the witness some questions but he was not cooperative, so she decided to take him to the police station, where the witness experienced a severe mental breakdown. Mrs. Jones said that she should have called for the assistance of medics who would get the witness out of that state and help to collect relevant evidence.
To conclude, there are vast opportunities for collaboration between law enforcement and public health professionals. The lack of communication between them leads to adverse outcomes in terms of preserving the well-being of the public. Therefore, additional efforts are needed to increased the interprofessional teamwork to boost the well-being of the public and develop strategies to eliminate community challenges that arise on a daily basis.
Reference
Greenberg, S., & Frattaroli, S. (2017). What police officers want public health professionals to know. Injury Prevention, 24(3), 178-179.
Institutions and public officers should ensure that citizens get high-quality services from the government. The relationship between citizens and police officers has always been unhealthy due to some controversial issues. Citizens and police officers clash on simple issues, and the results of this conflict are always devastating. Deliberate efforts of police officers and the public to promote healthy relationships among them do not seem to work properly; instead, the enmity between these groups seems to escalate. Police officers are justified to use maximum and reasonable force to contain individuals who break the law.
The Suitability of Police Violence
Police are human beings just like other people, and they are supposed to protect their lives at all costs. The United States Constitution supports the use of all available alternatives to protect one’s life in case it is at risk. There is no known level of influence that can prevent an armed criminal from shooting a police officer when the individual is confronted. For instance, many instances of police shootings occur after armed criminals threaten their lives.
Police officers are also trained to understand the psychology of criminals and predict their outcomes alongside ensuring that their lives are not at risk. Police officers may be compelled to use violence to protect themselves. In fact, using violence is part of policing. According to Gottschalk, “policing, therefore, has at its heart the notion of “service” to the community in which it operates, even if at times “force” may be a legally allowed option…” (222).
The United States Department of Justice argues that officers who promote law enforcement face danger in their daily responsibilities, especially when dealing with dangerous or unpredictable situations. They hardly have time to assess and determine an appropriate response; therefore, they use their professional skills to respond to the appropriate action that may include some level of force (Fyfe 409).
Second, police violence enables criminals to comply and work with offices thus preventing risky situations from happening. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights argues that police officers are legally entitled to use force to protect the public, apprehend criminals and avoid risking their lives. The International Association of Police Chiefs supported the use of physical, chemical, electronic impacts and firearms as necessary and acceptable force that may be used to bring unwilling suspects into compliance. For instance, protecting crowd marching towards government buildings and road blockades cannot be contained by using dialog. These crowds are usually charged and cannot rescind their quests unless police officers use violence to disperse them.
Last, most police officers use violence because of the negative experience from members of the public (Gottschalk 222). The recent Baltimore protests that were sparked by the death of Freddie Gray led to 15 police officers being injured, and six of them were hospitalized in critical condition. Baltimore Police Commissioner claimed that the demonstrators enjoyed throwing cinder blocks, stones, bricks and other objects at police officers to provoke them to lob teargas canisters at them.
The last two decades have recorded the worst atrocities committed on police officers resulting in the death of 2, 417 law enforcers. Protestors provoke and corner police officers with the intention of injuring or killing them to teach their colleagues a lesson. Law enforcement officers act on provocation and are compelled to use excess force that is proportional to the provocation from protestors’ side.
Police Violence is Wrong and Unacceptable
Blakeley asserts that “the assumption that torture is effective for gathering intelligence underpins arguments to legalize torture” (379). The author adds that “while it is plausible that torture may yield credible intelligence, we cannot conclude with any confidence that this is the usual outcome when torture is used to secure intelligence” (379). Most police officers view violent torture of suspects as the easiest and the best approach of managing crowds and criminals. The case of Minnesota children whose dogs were killed by police officers shows that few of them understand the suitability of using excess force in non-violent situations. America has witnessed police shooting unarmed citizens at close range, and this means that law enforcers have limited knowledge on how to manage non-violent situations.
The absence of a proper definition of violence, reason and force make it difficult for police officers to draw a line between enforcing the law and respecting the rights of civilians. In most instances, they do it the wrong way (Gottschalk, Dean and Glomseth 7).
Inmates are also victims of police brutality. In some cases, excess force may involve pulling over a motorist and confiscating his or her driving license while in other instances, a police officer may be justified to pull offenders through their car windows. There is a glaring conflict between the freedom of movement and expression and what police officers consider to be public nuisance and disturbance of law and order. The Supreme Court and other legal institutions should define these terms and give guidelines on how they can be used. Courts throw out cases where civilians press charges against violent police officers because of absence of a proper definition of the concepts involved in defining terms such as ‘necessary’ and ‘force’.
The consequences of misconduct cannot deter police officers from violating the rights and freedoms of citizens. Corruption is stereotypical in New Jersey, and that explains why a third of police officers are convicted, while the number of civilians facing similar charges is more than double. The judicial system believes that police officers are justified to use force and that is why it causes protests in modern societies. It is not easy for police officers to conduct proper investigations knowing that this may put jobs of their colleagues at risk. They work hard to protect the evils of their colleagues because tomorrow they may be the ones under investigations. Gottschalk, Dean and Glomseth observe that “indiscriminate and careless use of powers delegated to police officers is a major factor in alienating the public” (13).
The government seems to justify police brutality by shifting settlements to taxpayers. City coffers finance settlements to victims of police brutality and this encourages the vice. It is wrong for the government to transfer the responsibility of settlement to taxpayers yet an individual committed the crime. Police violence is a sensitive issue that the government has swept under the carpet to avoid ugly confrontations with relevant stakeholders.
It is illogical to settle victims using money from taxpayers’ pockets. The fact that police officers do not pay these settlements and the government pays for them means that the latter condones the vice. Therefore, it seems like the government is passing the blame of police brutality to the public and accuses it of failing to educate its members to respect the law and avoid clashes with police officers. This perception is wrong because it paints an ugly picture regarding the role of government in regulating the conduct of its officers.
Lamboo asserts that police officers have the constitutional mandate to protect citizens owing to the powers vested in them (614). Hence, they should be fair enough across all races. The definition of a criminal has sometimes been any young man who is black or Latino and seems to come from a poor or struggling background. It is right for police officers to stop and frisk individuals who are suspected to harbor illegal motives or carry drugs and arms.
However, the statistics collected over the years reveal a striking trend that seems to target African-Americans and Latinos. There has never been an African American woman or an old man arrested of posing threats to the public’s security. However, research reveals that most victims of police brutality are African Americans and Latinos who are aged below 35 years. For instance, Florida consists of about 110,000 people and 99, 980 were stopped and frisked between 2008 and 2013 yet none of them was arrested. Police find minority groups as soft target for abuse because they are underrepresented in politics and the judicial system perceives them to be perennial offenders.
The police are to blame for promoting the ‘us versus them’ mentality that makes people perceive law enforces as enemies and vice-versa. Law enforcement officers are supposed to work with the public through community policing initiatives to ensure there is order. Civilians and police officers are supposed to be friends to ensure criminal activities are thwarted and eliminated within a short time. However, the mentality propagated by police officers makes them perceive civilians as enemies even though they abuse the public in several dimensions. According to Lamboo, police misconduct entails “financial, abuse of office, use of force, abuse of legal powers, harassment, neglect of duty, alcohol and drugs (623).
Law enforcement officers are trained to believe that criminals are their greatest enemies and thus they should not take chances with them because it may compromise their responsibilities. The mentality promoted by police officers makes civilians develop a negative attitude towards them. A person stopped by a police officer will start thinking of the mistake he may have committed. Police officers and civilians develop response mechanisms that involve perceiving each other as enemies and whoever gets an opportunity strikes the other especially when victims are tortured (Blakeley 392).
Police violence does not necessarily mean that there should be injuries, shootings or death. Police personnel should demonstrate the highest standards of professionalism when handling offenders. In any case, police reform in many jurisdictions has been effective. Fyfe observes that external pressures from members of the public and civil society groups have “gradually brought about a shift towards developing a “new” police professionalism characterized by three key elements: increased accountability, a greater focus on legitimacy, and moves towards evidence-based practice” (411). Such ideals should be practiced in the police force.
Public display of sophisticated arms to intimidate criminals and the heavy presence of armed police officers are also forms of violence. People associate police officers with criminal activities, shootings, injuries, and arrests. There is no adequate amount of intimidation that can foster public’s trust to law enforcers.
Conclusion
Police violence may be suitable in cases where lives of officers or the public are at risk. In addition, it can be tolerated if it aims at seeking the cooperation of suspects and influence criminals to comply. However, this practice is wrong because it violates the rights of civilians, promotes racial discrimination and stereotyping. In addition, it encourages corruption and weakens judicial systems’ abilities to perform their roles properly. It also erodes public’s trust on law enforcers and promotes enmity between civilians and law enforcers. Police brutality is wrong and it should be stopped before the matter gets out of hand. Therefore, police officers should stop violating the rights of innocent citizens.
Works Cited
Blakeley, Ruth. “Why Torture?” Review of International Studies 33.3 (2007): 373-394. Print.
Fyfe, Nicholas. “Complex Transition and Uncertain Trajectories.” Journal of Workplace Learning 25.6 (2013): 407-420. Print.
Gottschalk, Petter. “Conceptual Framework for Police Deviance Applied to Police Crime Court Cases.” International Journal of Law and Management 54.3 (2012): 222- 233.Print.
Gottschalk, Petter, Geoff Dean, and Rune Glomseth. “Police Misconduct and Crime: Bad Apples or Systems Failure?” Journal of Money Laundering Control 15.1 (2012): 6-24.Print.
Lamboo, Terry. “Police Misconduct: Accountability of Internal Investigations.” The International Journal of Public Sector Management 23.7 (2010): 613-631.Print.
Leaders have to coordinate and monitor numerous operations if they are to take their organizations to the next level. The Four Frame Model is a powerful tool that researchers use to analyze how institutions operate and pursue their objectives. The four frames outlined in the framework include structural, political, human resource, and symbolic. This paper uses this model to understand the unique attributes that define small police departments in the United States.
Structural Frame
Government institutions play a significant role in the delivery of public services. Police departments also promote numerous activities that meet the needs of many citizens and their respective communities. In many small police units or units, a bureaucratic hierarchy exists whereby those in power guide and encourage all followers to act diligently and pursue the outlined goals. Analysts can deduce the main goals of such organizations from their mission statements. Many departments focus on the best actions and collaboration processes that can protect citizens and property and minimize crime (Burkus, 2014). They also focus on the best approaches to offer superior services to the greatest number of citizens in their respective communities or regions.
In terms of roles, all police officers receive adequate and timely resources in an attempt to complete their duties much faster. They get appropriate instructions and support to pursue their activities diligently. The issue of collaboration is essential to ensure that various activities, duties, and responsibilities are completed as planned. Stakeholders are also expected to act diligently, present reviews and ideas, and propose strategies for transforming police departments’ performance (Burkus, 2014). Those at the top design the best models for empowering officers and guiding them to achieve their potential.
Unlike in business organizations, the issue of rules is taken more seriously in every police department or organization. Burkus (2014) indicates that commanders and leaders encourage followers to identify and implement specific changes and practices that can add value to the targeted communities. There are also social links between departments and units, thereby making it easier for workers to share ideas and present their thoughts. With a vertical organizational structure, police officers and law enforcers are expected to follow the outlined code of conduct while communicating with their leaders directly. Groups are encouraged to formulate unique rules and guidelines that can support the delivery of security services within the shortest time possible.
All members of this corporation have their unique responsibilities and obligations. For instance, those at the top of the organizational structure formulate superior approaches that can support the delivery of high-quality services. Leaders also utilize their competencies to address emerging problems and formulate appropriate plans. They use their positions to guide, empower, and direct different teams or groups. Since there are middle-level managers, police officers are encouraged to form teams and identify the best initiatives that resonate with the “people-centered policing” concept (Othman et al., 2014). Officers can join specific like-minded teams and present their inputs or ideas to support their department’s goals.
Due to the existence of proper organizational culture, all individuals at any police department find it easier to take their responsibilities and duties seriously. They solve emerging problems, identify new sources of ideas, and support the intended organizational objectives. Additionally, many leaders encourage their followers to identify and consider projects that are capable of meeting the needs of members of the public in their respective regions (Burkus, 2014). Teams can collaborate and liaise with their counterparts from other divisions. This structural frame analysis shows clearly that many police departments outline the best roles, responsibilities, and goals for all officers, thereby making it easier for them to maintain law and order in all communities across the country.
Human Resource Frame
Leaders of small police departments should involve, guide, and mentor officers efficiently if positive results are to be recorded. Such actions and philosophies have the potential to make many units competitive and successful. Police departments establish human resource (HR) divisions that consider powerful practices and strategies for supporting their long-term and short-term goals. The first issue that all leaders consider is that of culture. This field empowers managers and HR departments to create the best working environments for all police officers (Sulaiman, 2015). They offer appropriate incentives, resources, and guidelines to motivate them. The existing structures, models, and processes support the needs of all police officers and staff members, thereby ensuring that they remain committed and happy about their work.
HR managers achieve this goal by promoting positive relationships among law enforcers. Many departments support the creation of groups and teams that pursue specific projects or activities. Leaders maintain hierarchies in all departments in an attempt to improve communication processes and ensure that orders are executed effectively. Police officers can communicate with their managers indirectly, seek guidance, and offer insights for improving organizational performance (Sulaiman, 2015). The concept of openness encourages workers to share notions with each other in order to make the targeted department successful. The idea of smartness also compels individuals in many police departments or organizations to consider the most appropriate action plans that can deliver positive results.
Collegiality is an idea that different stakeholders in the United States’ law enforcement take into consideration. As described earlier, police officers, leaders, and departmental heads cooperate since they acknowledge that they have similar responsibilities or goals. They engage in activities that will respond to the growing demands of the communities they serve. They find it easier to address specific challenges, including drug use, crime, robbery, investigation, and emergencies. They also form groups that support the delivery of positive results within the shortest time possible (Sereni-Massinger & Wood, 2016). Adequate resources and rewards are considered to support the concept of collegiality. American police officers receive competitive remunerations and allowances, thereby being ready to collaborate and pursue their goals diligently. The practice also ensures that decisions are made efficiently or seamlessly.
In most cases, police personnel maintains social ties in an attempt to minimize the time taken to launch and complete various projects. The existing culture results in a family-company ambiance that encourages all people to share ideas, support or mentor each other, and propose ideas for promoting community policing (Othman et al., 2014). Recently, many executives have been willing to interact and associate with all officers to improve performance. Such ties continue to guide and empower all workers to present insights for responding to changing community demands.
From this analysis, it is notable that leaders of many police departments in this country understand the unique needs of their security personnel. They support the concept of simple teams to deliver results in a timely manner. The HR department provides relevant recruitment and training services, transportation, career development, and work-life balance to all officers (Burkus, 2014). They also have access to free food, medical insurance cover, friendly working environments, and managed work procedures. Such measures result in constant employee engagement and motivation. Consequently, all workers identify the most appropriate initiatives and practices that can minimize crime cases and maintain order.
Political Frame
Chief officers in charge of police departments influence people’s behaviors and attitudes, formulate goals, and dictate how law and order activities are to be executed. Sereni-Massinger and Wood (2016) indicate that those who have power in such units tend to use their positional authority to control, guide, and empower their followers. Successful chief officers will use their abilities to make superior decisions and promote actions that are in accordance with the established code of conduct for the police. There are also those who are below this leader. These individuals will offer their inputs, address the needs of all followers, and engage in activities that will eventually deliver the intended goals. The existence of a hierarchical leadership structure shows that a chain of command exists to ensure that all activities and operations are completed seamlessly and efficiently.
It is notable that chief officers and their deputies have power and should act in accordance with their bosses’ wishes. This means that they use their positions to assert authority and compel followers to act diligently in order to promote law and order. The reason why this is the case is that different police departments can be at risk of failing to deliver positive results without a defined source of authority. Leaders consider their prestigious positions to guide and force officers to do what is right (Othman et al., 2014). The most important thing is for police officers to protect against any form of crime, theft, oppression, or torture. They also follow presented orders to respond swiftly to emergencies or security threats. Those who are concerned with traffic offenses will also deliver positive results in accordance with the presented goals. This analysis reveals that the use of this kind of power is something essential in police departments since it seeks to promote law and order in the targeted community. The practice also ensures that public property is protected against theft, arson, or any other form of destruction.
The use of power groups is an evidence-based model for ensuring that outlined goals are recorded within a short period. In many police departments, leaders collaborate and liaise with commanders in disciplined forces or units. They might go a step further to form coalitions that have the potential to deliver the intended objectives. Coordinated initiatives have ensured that these services are available to the greatest number of citizens: assistance to crime victims, law enforcement, maintenance of social or public order, and response to emergencies (Sereni-Massinger & Wood, 2016). With proper guidance and support, officers can patrol assigned areas, arrest those engaging in criminal activities, testify in different court cases, and enforce laws accordingly.
Chief officers go further to appoint leaders who can deliver the intended objectives. They encourage the elected police personnel to form power coalitions to ensure that high-quality and timely security services are available to the greatest number of citizens in the identified communities or regions (Gultekin, 2014). This model is something that continues to support the effectiveness and performance of many police units and departments in the United States. Consequently, the levels of social unrest and criminal offenses have diminished significantly.
Symbolic Frame
Police culture is a field that has attracted the attention of many researchers and organizational theorists. This is the case since officers tend to portray specific norms, rituals, ceremonies, and beliefs that define them. Burkus (2014) goes further to indicate that such attributes have been changing over the years. Before the 1990s, police departments were studied as organizations that promoted autocratic leadership practices and relied on direct orders to achieve their goals (Sereni-Massinger & Wood, 2016). The concept of hyper-masculinity was evident whereby officers engaged in risky behaviors and actions in an attempt to assert their positions in society. Police leaders were also observed to influence the recruitment of juniors using unethical and ineffective decision-making procedures. Within the past two decades, many officers have become more friendly and capable of tackling most of the issues they face from an informed perspective. In terms of norms, individuals are expected to follow existing regulations and commands.
The unique assumptions include the need to act on behalf of the government, remain secretive, and ensure that members of the public are afraid of them. Rituals, ceremonies, and celebrations also form an integral aspect of police culture. This is the case since they usually organize meetings, graduation events, and reward programs. They engage the public in an attempt to achieve the goals of community policing. The leading beliefs include the obligation to be on the frontline, the ability to remain assertive, and the idea that anti-police bias (Sereni-Massinger & Wood, 2016). These cultural aspects are expected to change in the future and make officers more responsible.
There are unique key symbols and artifacts with which different police departments associate. For example, many people consider their uniforms as a sign of social control. This is true since officers are expected to monitor various activities while staying away from members of society. They should always be available to offer the required support and protection. The major artifacts associated with police departments include the presence of a physical working environment, language, dress code, observable ceremonies, and rituals (Othman et al., 2014). These aspects make it easier for people to define and identify police officers and their unique responsibilities.
The core value-driven mission of many police departments focuses on the best approaches that can make them respectable and meaningful to all citizens. The leaders of such organizations guide their officers to provide evidence-based services that can meet the needs of many people. They do so by acquiring and utilizing the right resources, formulating appropriate action plans, and making superior decisions to promote security (Gultekin, 2014). They should also utilize their competencies to monitor suspicious activities and respond in a professional manner.
With such symbolic attributes, police officers should act diligently, show compassion, remain realistic, and apply integrity in order to provide desirable services to all citizens. They have to be aware of the outlined core value-driven missions of their respective departments, form teams and identify emerging trends that can support their activities (Othman et al., 2014). Such measures will make it easier for them to achieve their goals and empower more citizens in the communities they serve.
Conclusion
In conclusion, organizational leaders should be aware of evidence-based structures and cultural attributes that can guide employees to deliver positive results. The paper has revealed that police departments can consider the Four Frame Model to identify existing strengths and address existing gaps. Such a move can empower officers to provide exemplary community policing, crime prevention, property protection, and security services.
Gultekin, K. (2014). The reform era of policing: How does organizational structure influence organizational culture? European Scientific Journal, 10(8), 508-518.
Othman, R., Omar, N., Azam, A., Ibrahim, S., Farouq, W. A., Rustam, N., & Aris, N. A. (2014). Influence of job satisfaction and codes of ethics on integrity among police officers. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 145, 266-276. Web.
Sereni-Massinger, C., & Wood, N. (2016). Improving law enforcement cross cultural competencies through continued education. Journal of Education and Learning, 5(2), 258-264. Web.
Sulaiman, Y. (2015). Exploring the effect of organization culture factors on job satisfaction: A Study of Polis Diraja Malaysia. Journal of Economics and Development Studies, 3(3), 165-168. Web.
The Dubai Police Force consists of 15,000 strong police officers for the city of Dubai, in the UAE. The Dubai Police department was established on June 1, 1956, in Naif (a region in the Deira, with the first police headquarters as Naif Fort) with just 29 individuals. The chief of Dubai police is Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim (Overview, 2014). In the subsequent years, the number of people recruited to join the police force increased annually.
By the year 1967 at least 430 individuals were serving in the police force. In 1973, the police department moved its central command to their present area of Al Towar, which is located on Al Etihad Street in Dubai. Currently, there is a new headquarter that has been built in Deira. This means that the central office is about to change from Al Towar to Deira.
The vision of Dubai police force is to foster the security and protection to enhance development. The protection of the society is the top priority coupled with offering professional services. The mission for the Dubai police is to strengthen the security systems of the city to facilitate the protection of the citizens’ rights. The strategic goals include reducing the crime level in the city, apprehending and charging criminals, disaster management and preparedness, and managing traffic and dealing with traffic offenders (Overview, 2014).
The Dubai Police department endeavours to be ‘most dynamic’ of all the police forces in the Arab countries. The department aims to inculcate a higher education benchmark amongst the police officers. Among the police forces in the Arab world, the Dubai police force was the first to be acquainted with technology. Their services were mechanised. The records were stored electronically for easy access, For example, storing of fingerprints changed from manual storage to electronic storage. In the same way, forensic investigations dealing with the sampling of DNAs was also done electronically.
After a few years, all the vehicles were monitored using the GPS to control vehicle theft. The Dubai Police force was the first to utilize numerous new law authorization strategies, including electronic checking and store of fingerprints and testing DNA electronically. The police force was likewise the first to utilize GPS frameworks to find stolen cars. Furthermore, the Dubai police force was the first to make and preserve a Human Rights Department, and also the first police force to utilize a Community Policing program (Overview, 2014).
The new central station for the Dubai police is being built in Deira. The new headquarter was built taking into consideration several factors. The factors include prioritizing to provide simple access for both officers and other people, in general, and the new outline is supposed to separate the offices into various zones. The building will also include a focal, multi-level interior space, and is intended to fit in with the current structural engineering standards of the buildings in Dubai. The Dubai police department depicts the new building as a recognized constructional origination (Overview, 2014).
The police department
All major organisations normally have an organisational structure that contains several departments to hold the organization together. All these departments work in collaboration with a common aim to meet the vision and the mission of the organisation. The General Commander of the Dubai police structures a portion of an authoritative office and controls 15 other divisions (departments), with the support of the Decision Making Support Centre (Overview, 2014).
The General Department of Operations
This department forms the centre of the Dubai police department. The department consists of many patrol officers who receive their instructions and commands electronically through the help of round the clock telephone lines. There are more than 2,000 land lines and 178 fax machines available for communication. The control centre utilizes a remote hardware to find both auto and foot patrol officers. The office organizes all crisis reactions and, in addition, pursuit and salvage operations both on land and on the sea (Overview, 2014).
The General Department of E-Services
This office is another essential area of the police department. It is actually the latest office to be made. It was built up in 2001 under the custodianship of Sheik Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Prime Minister of the UAE. The primary focus for establishing the department was to spearhead the creation of an absolutely electronic government. In 2014, Khalid Nasser Alrazooqi, the then Director General, acquainted Google Glass with the police department to give out fines and track down motor offenders (Overview, 2014).
The General Department of Criminal Investigation
This department is charged with curbing crimes in the Dubai police department (Overview, 2014). The following are the objectives of the department.
Managing day by day, little time crimes (squabbles, swearing, maligning, and so forth),
Managing violations of a perilous nature (for example, homicide, assault, theft, kidnapping, and so on),
Managing organised crimes (shipment of drugs, tax evasion, Interpol criminals),
Social administrations (for example, recovering lost property, items discovered, issuing certificate of good conduct, licenses of various sorts, and so forth),
Utilizing scientific confirmation (for example, Forensic investigations, fingerprints identification, documentation and listing of crimes, arson investigations, chemical examination, guns, and so on),
Utilizing personality acknowledgment means (for example, fingerprints technique, using DNA, criminal records check up, etc.), and
Preventing anticipated crimes (such direction, mandates, factual projections, periodicals, and so forth).
Other departments in the police division
Besides the above three main departments, Dubai police has other several departments that help in running the entire organization. The other departments include The Decision Making Support Centre. The General Department of Administrative Affairs, The General Department of Airports Security, The General Department of Community Services, The General Department of E-Services, The General Department of Finance, The General Department of Human Resources, The General Department of Organisation, Protective Security and Emergency, The General Department of Punitive Establishment, The General Department of Services and Supplies, The General Department of Total Quality, The General Department of Traffic, The Police dog unit, and The Dubai Police Academy (Overview, 2014).
Police stations in Dubai City
Dubai city has 11 police stations in number. The number is anticipated to rise in the near future, given the growing and expanding population. The police stations are located in strategic areas and are evenly distributed so that they can cover and reach out to the population of the entire city. The police stations act as regional base for the police officers where they can uphold the rule of law by preventing crimes and protecting the citizens (Overview, 2014). The police stations include:
Al Rifaa Police Station, which was created in the mid-1970s. The police station is charged with the mandate of maintaining law and order in Bur Dubai area. The facility has undergone renovations twice, for instance in 1979 and lately in 1992.
Al Muraqqabat Police Station, which started in the year 1974.
Al Rashidiyah Police Station, which started as a partial police station in 1976. It was a branch of Al Muraqqabat Police Station. In the year 1984 it became an independent police station, and later was renovated in the year 2000.
Naif Police Station, which started as the first headquarters of the Dubai police force in 1939. It was originally called Naif Fort. The facility also served as a prison until the year 1956 when the Dubai police force was introduced.
Al Quasais Police Station, which started in the year 1977. The facility was later renovated in the year 1999.
Hatta Police Station, which was started in the year 1974. The facility was later renovated in the year 1976.
Nad Al Sheba Police Station, which was started in the year 1994 in Zabeel region. It was later moved to a different location but still in Zabeel.
Jebel Ali Police Station, which was started in the year 1971. The facility was later renovated in the year 2000.
Ports Police Station, which was established in the year 1971. The station was charged with the mandate to maintain law and order in the area of Rashid Port.
Bur Dubai Police Station, which was started in the year 1979.
Al Barsha Police Station, which is the latest station to be opened. It was established in the year 2014 with the mandate to maintain law and order in the Al Barsha region.
Literature review
Just like any other organization, the Dubai police force has a well-functioning HR department. The HR department has several roles that are essential for the sustenance of the police force. The HR department of the Dubai police force plays six distinct roles. The roles include:
Recruitment: The accomplishment of the human resources is measured by the number of vacancies they fill and the period taken to fill those vacancies. They publicize job vacancies, look for competent candidates, screen candidates, carry out interviews and make recommendations for employment.
Safety: Security of the working environment is very essential. One of the principle elements of the human resource is to bolster work environment security and keep up logs for injuries and casualty reporting. Also, the human resource security and danger experts regularly work intimately with the human resource benefits authorities to handle issues of compensation.
Employee relations: This is the human resource’s sector given the mandate to foster the relationship between the employer and the employees. The department does this by measuring job fulfilment, the engagement of the workers, and settling workplace disputes. Employee relations capacities may incorporate creating administration response to the workers’ unions, and managing the contracts of the employees in accordance to the unions.
Compensation and benefits: The role of the human resources incorporates setting pay structures and assessing focused remuneration practices.
Compliance: Consistency with work and job laws is a basic human resource capacity. Resistance to comply can bring about working environment dissensions in light of negative work ethics, hazardous working conditions and general disappointment with working conditions that can influence efficiency and at last, productivity.
Teaching and growth: The training in leadership may be required of recently enlisted workers and supervisors or directors. Professional improvement opportunities are for workers searching for limited time opportunities or representatives who need to accomplish individual objectives, for example, completing an advanced education. Projects, for example, educational scholarships frequently are inside of the domain of the human resources’ training and development sector.
Fig 1.1 Structure of the HR Department. Source: (Ariss & Dessler, 2012).
Introduction to the performance appraisal
I undertook my internship at the human resources department of the Dubai police force. My roles included the procurement of staff products under the SPPS (Staff Product Purchase Scheme), updating the staff data on the medical insurance data sheet and carrying out training programs under the TTT (Train the Trainer program) system. The principal obligation I was allotted during my internship period was to help the coach for the TTT program. Furthermore, I was deployed to update the staff data on the medical insurance data sheet before proceeding to handle the staff compensation and benefits program.
The Human Resources Department manages the administration of individuals inside of the association (Baruch, 2003). The office is in charge of drawing in workers, assigning them in their positions and guaranteeing their performance. All the workers have their records in the System for Time and Recording (STAR). This record is updated on a regular basis. The participation, yearly leaves, easy-going leaves, debilitated leaves, complimentary leaves and so forth are likewise redesigned consistently into the framework. Before the end of my internship period I conducted a short survey to investigate whether the police officers had confidence in their human resources department.
There are different exercises in the human resources department that keep the senior officers at the department busy (Blassingame, 2003). The human resource personnel additionally handle the training between departments, supervising training, organising the TTT training and the introduction, training and settling of newly recruited employees. The update of the staff data on the medical insurance data sheet takes place regularly. The launch of the SPPS was done this year, soon after I had joined. This program helps the employees to remit payments in instalments for acquiring a commodity (Cabrera & Cabrera, 2003). This scheme applies only to the police officers who have been in service for at least one year.
Purpose the performance appraisal
Performance appraisal ought to concentrate on three targets: execution, legitimate issues, and coming to concurrence on what the worker is going to enhance in his execution and what you are going to do (Charan, Barton & Carey, 2015). Both the manager and worker ought to perceive that a solid relationship exists in the middle of preparing and execution assessment. There is a privilege of every worker to be included in occasional meetings for the sole purpose of examining their execution and clearing up their expectations. These sessions will be more profitable when the director and his subordinates will take them as a beneficial one if there will be two-way correspondence (Couzins & Beagrie, 2005).
Such meetings or exercises ought not to be planned all of a sudden, these gatherings ought to be booked at the legitimate time and everybody ought to be educated well in front of the session and besides, these sessions ought to incorporate chances for self-evaluation and reaction of the supervisors. For new representatives, such sessions are of awesome worth and they will get the advantage of recognizing the issues earlier (Hall, 1995). In the event of sharing these issues and discoveries of these sessions then there is plausibility that a typical comprehension will be created between the administrator and subordinate keeping in mind the end goal to make transformations.
When the objectives are recognized, an arrangement for their accomplishment ought to be created. The arrangement may call for assets or backing from other staff individuals keeping in mind the end goal to achieve the results. At times, the arrangement may include extra preparing (Harazin & Pádár, 2013. The boss ought to stay in touch with the representative to guarantee the preparation encounters are delivering the fancied effect. The worker advancement objectives ought to be perceived as honest to goodness, and arrangements ought to be made to achieve the objectives through formative encounters or training. Empowering improvement is a proficient obligation. It also persuades a representative to seek after extra responsibilities (Ibrahim, 2004).
What’s more, the quest for these destinations will likewise enhance the prospect that present representatives will be qualified as applicants when positions get to be accessible. This methodology inspires current execution; it also helps the enlistment of current workers as qualified possibility for future positions. It is certain that a worker gains from his qualities and shortcomings (Mahendra, 2013). Nobody can preclude the significance from securing the support of worker in the assessment process. Representatives feel that they are considered important as people and that the administrator is genuinely worried about their needs and objectives.
Organisational communication
Compelling correspondence is one of the key segments of the human resources in any association, particularly the police department. Furthermore, it turns out to be especially more vital for an ever-busy police force to have a decent correspondence between the administration and the staff. This will have a direct effect on service delivery (McDermott & Neault, 2011).
Additionally, it brings a more transparent working atmosphere, thus, changing the employees into the faithful and abler staff. The workers need to convey clearly and on time what they need, and the administration ought to listen and ensure they are all aware of all their staff’s prerequisites and needs. Along these lines, if this is present in a working environment, then it makes a positive climate and both the parties can speak with one another with clarity which will urge staff to put forth a stronger effort more than they always do (Prince, 2013).
Working as a member of the human resources department for a short period gave me the chance to see the importance of my scholastic information and its real life’s implications. At least everything that we were learnt in our educational modules, about verbal and non-verbal correspondence, client administrations, handling phone calls and so forth were all to a great degree useful for my temporary position.
In like manner, I got myself more certain and more ready to give presentations because of the compulsory presentation we normally do in our course. Therefore, the different subjects taught by exceedingly experienced employees in conformity with my school work and invaluable. This temporary position additionally offered me some assistance with understanding the level of my insight and its utilization, in practical life (Paul & Elder, 2013).
The temporary job did not need me to fill a position and capacity like a worker, but rather for me to make the best of the open door and gain as much as expert experience and information as I can. What’s more, I trust I did succeed to an awesome level to expand my understanding, sharpen my abilities and comprehend the viable significance of my scholarly learning. It did make a great deal of trouble for me to appreciate the methodology of the staff unions because of their constrained or no association with the apprentices and interns. Likewise, it was not recommended to get some information about the interior issues in their vicinity in the human resources office. Along these lines, I could just gain data taking into account my perception. Also, I felt that the human resources branch of the police department required an air where they could have great correspondence with one another without being investigated.
I really welcome the motivation I got from my school all through the temporary job period. I was placed in a steady communication with the school supervisor and was watching firmly every one of my exercises which urged me to put all the more diligent work each day, as I specified prior, it did reflect in my obligations which got acknowledged by the seniors of the human resource.
Furthermore, working in differing and multicultural environment had me a chance to extemporize my relational abilities by interfacing with workers of the different progressive system, nationality and social foundation. Taking everything into account, I am ready to express that this temporary position gave me a stage to apply my hypothetical information in real life. What’s more, this handy usage of my scholastic learning has assisted me with understanding the complexities, difficulties and prospects that lie in a genuine working environment. As I made the most of my internship period, I absolutely did take in a considerable measure from every day of work and everybody I had an opportunity to associate with.
Methodology
Problem statement
Performance evaluation is characterized as a procedure used to separate, survey, outline and build up the execution of a worker (Stone, 2013). It is essential for supervisors to try to get target data about the execution of workers with a specific end goal to make the procedure more powerful and helpful. In today’s aggressive world, it is truly essential for the association to concentrate on execution of the workers since low execution can drag the organisation (Rees, Mamman & Braik, 2007). The purpose of this research was to investigate whether the police officers had enough confidence in their human resources department.
Research objectives
The main objective of the study was to investigate whether the police officers had enough confidence in their human resources department. The study used a case study of the human resources department of Dubai police force. In line with this, the specific objectives were:
To find out if level of satisfaction by the employees has an effect on their confidence in the human resources department,
To ascertain whether the quality of the service has an effect on their confidence in the human resources department,
To investigate if the employees perceived that the human resources department is reliable enough, and
To examine if the image of the human resources department influences the employees’ confidence in the human resources department.
Research hypotheses
In line with the main objective, the following hypotheses were tested:
level of satisfaction by the employees has an effect of on their confidence in the human resources department,
the quality of the service has an effect on their confidence in the human resources department,
Reliability of the human resources department has an effect on their confidence in the human resources department, and
The image of the human resources department influences the employees’ confidence in the human resources department.
Research Design
Considering the exploratory nature of the research study, the research will adopt the mixed research design. The study will take into account the qualitative and quantitative research designs. The choice of the mixed research design has arisen from the need to improve the quality of the research study. First, the integration of the qualitative research design will aid in the generation of adequate data from the field to support the study. Moreover, the research will have an opportunity to collect data from the natural setting, hence improving the relevance of the research study. In the course of implementing the qualitative research design, the study will take into account the grounded theory.
Population and Sampling
There are two popularly used procedures for sampling. The sampling procedures include prospect sampling and non-prospect sampling. In a probability sampling procedure, the samples are representative of the population. This is because all the entries have a chance of selection. On the other hand, items in the non-probability sampling do not have an equal chance. In this scenario, not all the items in the population have equal chances of selection. The data for the study came from the police officers in Dubai police. The employees had profiles that fit the context of this study. Therefore, the employees were an excellent choice because many of them have had the organization experience. Because not all the employees could be accessible, a non-probability sampling procedure was important in this study.
Conducting a study on the entire population is not manageable due to the high cost and the amount of time required. Consequently, the research study will take into account the sampling technique. To make the study manageable scholars found that the research will integrate the simple random sampling technique in constructing the research sample (Rees, Mamman & Braik, 2007).
This technique will ensure that there is no bias in conducting the study. The study had a sample of 50 respondents for data collection. The study will take into account both males and females in constructing the research sample. The study assumes that the selected research sample will be representative of the workforce perception of the confidence in the human resources department. The choice of these regions has arisen from the need to understand the impact of social and cultural diversity on the employee perception and hence performance.
Data Collection and Instrumentation
In any research, there are basic stages that are involved in regards to the shaping of the research. These stages include understanding the research problem, the conceptual framework of the research, data collection, data analysis and interpretations, and drawing inferences and making recommendations. In this study, quantitative research method helps to test the hypotheses formulated. The quantitative research method is very instrumental in harnessing mathematical models that are enshrined to natural facts. The existing theories construct a conceptual framework that measures this type of research.
The adoption of primary sources played a fundamental role in improving the relevance of the research findings. The integrated interviewing technique helped to collect data from the field. Consequently, a set of questionnaires was developed. The questionnaires acted as a guide in conducting the interview. The questionnaires were mainly composed of open-ended questionnaires to provide the respondents an opportunity to answer the required issues based on their opinion. The respondents received the questionnaires directly via an online media. Thus, the data collection method entailed an online survey. Adopting this method of administration validates the need to minimize the cost of the study. This is because of the fact that respondents stay sparsely.
Data Analysis and Presentation
The collected data will be analysed quantitatively. This goal comes by incorporating quantitative data analysis tools such as tabulation, use of graphs, percentages, and charts. Considering the fact that the research study has integrated the qualitative research design, the data analysis and presentation method will entail the adoption of the textual presentation technique. This technique comes about by using statements that comprise numerals. One of the textual presentation tools that are important in analysing the research data entails the Likert scale.
By using this tool, the research will be in a position to evaluate the qualitative data using point scales such as the 5-point Likert scale. In addition to the above technique, the research will integrate the Microsoft Excel data analysis technique. The adoption of this technology played a fundamental role in improving the effectiveness and efficiency with which the collected data will be analysed using tables, charts, and graphs. Moreover, incorporation of the Microsoft technique played a fundamental role in improving the ease with which the research data translates.
Limitations of the study
There have been a considerable measure of concerns on extra-budgetary costs of gathering of the information, paying little mind to whether the accumulated information is truly genuine or not and whether there may be an unequivocal conclusion when translating and breaking down the information. What’s more, a few representatives were hesitant to offer some data that was private and perilous in the hands of their rivals. This represented an extraordinary test in the examination as the specialist needed to take a more drawn out time to discover workers why should willingly give out sufficient data.
Overview of the activities conducted
Personal tasks
Procurement of staff products under the SPPS (Staff Product Purchase Scheme), updating the staff data on the medical insurance data sheet and carrying out training programs under the TTT (Train the Trainer program) system. The principal obligation I was allotted during my internship period was to help the coach for the TTT program. Furthermore, I was deployed to update the staff data on the medical insurance data sheet before proceeding to handle the staff compensation and benefits program. The Human Resources Department manages the administration of individuals inside of the association.
The office is in charge of drawing in workers, assigning them in their positions and guaranteeing their performance. All the workers have their records in the System for Time and Recording (STAR). This record is updated on a regular basis. The participation, yearly leaves, easy-going leaves, debilitated leaves, complimentary leaves and so forth are likewise redesigned consistently into the framework. Before the end of my internship period I conducted a short survey to investigate whether the police officers had confidence in their human resources department.
There are different exercises in the human resources department that keep the senior officers at the department busy. The human resource personnel additionally handle the training between departments, supervising training, organising the TTT training and the introduction, training and settling of newly recruited employees. The update of the staff data on the medical insurance data sheet takes place regularly. The launch of the SPPS was done this year, soon after I had joined. This program helps the employees to remit payments in instalments for acquiring a commodity. This scheme applies only to the police officers who have been in service for at least one year.
Training programs
Once in a while, there are some refresher courses carried out by the human resources department. The training is mainly equipped with the relevant skills that will enable them to train other fellow officers in future. It is a three-day workshop intended to educate every member the best systems and methods of issuing instructions.
Every learner is furnished with an entire day of team building exercises and address on the best way to teach the workers/associates/subordinates. Amid this preparation, every individual needs to set up a preparation module for the purposes of training the co-students. In this instance, they would share the evaluations of their learning. The second day and the third day are utilized for the practice training. Every learner is required to conduct at least three training to their co-workers in their area of expertise within a period of one month with a specific end goal to get the merit of finishing of TTT program.
After the fulfilment of this training, the human resources division screens and guarantees that the recently prepared mentors give their subordinates the training all the time. I was mainly capable just in masterminding all the required assets for the training exercises and help the trainers. On the other hand, I additionally got a chance to receive training in my own particular area. I needed to set up a training module and train the same to the co-learners. I was reviewed with the best appraisals amongst all the co-students, which came as a lovely surprise to me and everybody. This likewise broke the traditional perception than an intern is viewed as an insignificant learner who does not have anything else to offer. Be that as it may, the trainers commended my hard work, which was noteworthy.
Procurement of the staff products under SPPS
This program was launched this year when I started my internship. It is meant to benefit the employees who intend to acquire assets as it enables them to pay by instalments. I was dependable to organize with the staff individuals so as to satisfy the preparatory necessities of those intrigued to agree to the instalment plan. This project was started by the human resources department in collaboration with the welfare association of the police officers. SPPS is an ideal project for the police officers who wish to purchase any item from two merchants on a yearly instalment premise. The items include television sets, refrigerators, cars, houses, and so forth. The police officers gladly welcomed the project, even though there were certain requirements to be fulfilled in order to qualify for the program.
To begin with, they must be a full-time worker with no earlier credit facilities. Second, they ought to be a year, not exactly the retirement age. I was dependable in assisting all the interested police officers by issuing out forms to be filled out for the purchase of the items. The human resource department, together with the police welfare had consulted two known merchants to supply the items to the police officers who had shown an interest. My part amid the whole process was to make the right codes of the items and right cost/prices in the application forms.
Just after all the applicants filled out the application forms, they were taken to the Finance Department for confirmation. The Finance Officer checked all the legitimacy of the employees’ information and validated the applications. The applications were then sent to the Financial Controller for additional endorsement. The structures were then taken to Welfare Committee of the police force for the second mark of endorsement. Finally, the human resources managers signed off the applications and finished the procedure of the first round of the project. One duplicate of the application forms from every applicant was sent to the merchants to act as the purchase order. The items purchased were then delivered to the police officers at their designations as per the signed forms.
Medical Insurance Data Sheet Update
All the police officers are guaranteed a medical cover by an insurance company, where an officer can claim between 50,000 and 125,000 in one year subject to his/her designation in the police force. The medicinal protection claim could be the repayment of the examination that a police officer or relatives of the police officer experience. The claim record ought to be appended with the claim form filled by the police officer. The internal physician checks every one of the documents for legitimacy and signs the reports which are then prepared for repayment. The records are gathered week by week and sent to the Finance Department to process the payments.
The Finance Department check the records in the Medical Insurance Data Sheet and verifies them with what is contained in the claim form before proceeding to authenticate the reimbursement. This is the main reason why the Medical Insurance Data Sheet needs to be updated as regularly as possible. I was charged with the mandate of updating the information sheet for every one of the workers. There were more than 400 police officers in my designation and I verified and updated the information for each one of them. The information contained the officer’s name, the officer’s date of birth, the officer’s marital status, the officer’s spouse name, the spouse’s date of birth, the number of children, the names of each child, the date of birth of each child, the name of the officer’s parents, the date of birth of the officer’s parents, and the permanent address and contact.
Industry analysis
PEST analysis
Political
There has been political instability in Dubai in the recent past. The instability threatens the police force. The police officers need to manage the unrest in a way that does not compromise the peace of the citizens.
Economical
Dubai is a cosmopolitan city, whereby people from across the world visit to look for new livelihoods. This has led to increased cases of human trafficking. The police department, in collaboration with the other governmental departments, has outlined structures to ensure that human trafficking is dealt with.
Social
Dubai is a multi-cultural society that provides a home for people of diverse cultures and ethnic orientations. It is the work of the police department to train the police officers to be well versed with the diverse languages and culture.
Technological
the Dubai police department prides itself in being in line with the latest technological advancements in the execution of their roles. Proper training is given to the staff to equip them with the required knowledge to handle the gadgets or equipment.
SWOT analysis
Strengths
Support from the government. The police force has the full backing of the current government.
Technological advancement has enabled the police force to use the latest technology in operations.
The resourced needed for operations are readily available.
Collaboration among the various departments has prospered the police force.
Weaknesses
Slow response to call of duty. Many city residents have expressed their disappointments with the slow nature of the responses.
Due to the existence of diverse cultures within the city, the police force is rocked with the problem of language barrier.
Opportunities
Constant training and development by the human resources.
The increase in the number of officers recruited each year.
Threats
The rapid increase in the city’s population has resulted to increased level of crimes.
Relationship within the workplace
My internship with the Dubai police was a genuinely rewarding encounter. I encountered with the genuine human resources exercises and got the chance to perform in those exercises. My insight in the field of HR was useful to include new point of view while we assembled for office meetings. I saw the execution of all the HR exercises, all things considered; on the other hand, I just had the hypothetical learning about them which addressed numerous “whys” of mine. It was estimable to perceive how wholeheartedly they invited, recognized and acknowledged new thoughts and learning. I additionally endeavoured to assemble more data on fundamental occupation elements of different offices to have a better comprehension of the connection between them and the HR division.
The police division offered a cordial and agreeable environment. Everybody in the human resources department was involved with their own particular routine work which I trust constrained my learning potential outcomes. Be that as it may, this temporary job has helped me to connect theory and practice. My essential target was to watch, assess and look at the relationship between the learning that I have picked up in my schooling and work environment. This duration of internship has unquestionably offered me some assistance with learning how undertakings are performed in a working environment. In any case, a percentage of the acts of the HR division amid my temporary position raised my worries.
If at all I am to highlight on the most critical part of my internship observation, then it would be the significance of correspondence. Great correspondence is vital in any association and it holds more significance in bigger associations that employees numerous workforce. It was very shocking to perceive how the human resources division of a police department with more than 1000 employees had flaws in the communication procedures. It was the greatest defeat the office had, so to say and I did take in a considerable measure from the mistakes submitted by the others. The junior human resource officers were too slow to spearhead effective communication. In such manner, it was difficult to put my newly obtained, updated scholastic information into practice, yet I succeeded in taking in numerous new things from this experience too.
As the saying goes, “you cannot judge a book by its cover”, it is hard to predict where an association stands just by observing its physical foundation unless you get inside. Also, this experience has given me an uncommon chance to investigate a work environment and comprehend the contrasts between the classroom learning and genuine corporate world.
Normally, in a nation like our own, we positively have a major gap between the school learning and the one earned on the job experience. It is to a great degree troublesome for people to comprehend this present reality with no earlier working background. Our educational modules have furnished us with significant scholastic information. All the scholastic learning may not have been connected through practice, I could at present see the need of its usage and how it could achieve positive changes to the human resources office.
The organisational behaviour
The organisational behaviour is the study and utilization of information about how the members of the organisation act and interact with each other. It translates the relationship between people and organisation in regards to the individual, entire group, entire association, and entire social framework. Its motivation is to create better connections by accomplishing human targets, hierarchical goals, and social targets. My past work encounters had set me up well to fit in an association and comprehend their authoritative societies. Along these lines, I was ready and began performing the very day I joined as it did not take me too long to comprehend my obligations.
I was inspired by the pleasant, inviting mood and considerably more with the agreeable conduct of the organizers which showed that the human resources office was effective in keeping an anxiety free workplace. They clarified and completely helped me to take in the distinctive frameworks of the recording data of the police officers. They could still consider my efforts, even though I made some mistakes at first. The head of the human resources and other line managers were extremely propelling and grateful. My thoughts, attempts and work were constantly recognized and acknowledged. I could make an impact on the HR seniors by my innovative learning which now and again resolved some unpredictable issues.
Findings, data analysis and interpretation
This section covers the findings of the study, analysis of the data, presentation and interpretation. The findings are as per the responses in the questionnaires.
Attributes of the respondents
Out of the 50 successful respondents, 39.1% were male, while 60.9% were female. In terms of age, 14% of the respondents were below the age of 20. Respondents who were aged between 21 years and 25 years were the majority, composing 59.3%. 20.3% of the respondents were between the age of 26 years and 30 years, while only 6.25% of the respondents were above 30 years of age. I chose the younger police officers because they still had many years before retirement, thus, they are the future of the police force.
The data was collected from the police officers who volunteered to participate in the study. Their identities were kept anonymous to maintain confidentiality. I randomly selected the officers who were in the station. Table 3.1 presents a summary of the findings.
Table 3.1 Demographic characteristics
ITEM
PERCENTAGE
Sex
Male
39.10%
Female
60.90%
Total
100.00%
Age
Below 20 years
14.00%
Between 21 and 25 years
59.30%
Between 26 and 30 years
20.30%
Above 30 years
6.25%
Total
100.00%
Place of origin
Native
86.30%
Others
13.70%
Total
100.00%
Before the data interpretation, the results of the factors motivating the police officers to work in the police department were analysed.
Level of confidence on the human resources department
I asked two straight questions in regards to this. The first question was, “Do you have confidence in your human resources department?” 79.70% of the respondents said ‘Yes’ while the remaining 20.30% said ‘No’. The results are summarised in Table 3.2 below.
Table 3.2 Confidence in the human resources department
Response
Percentage
Yes
79.70%
No
20.30%
Total
100.00%
The second question posed to the respondent was still in line with the level of the confidence in the human resources department. The question was, “Are you satisfied with the services of your human resources department?” The results revealed that 81.30% of the respondents said ‘Yes’ while the remaining 18.70% of the respondents said ‘No’. The results are summarised in Table 3.3 below.
Table 3.3 Summary of the satisfaction of the employees
Response
Percentage
Yes
81.30%
No
18.70%
Total
100.00%
The summary of the above findings points out to the fact that the human resources department is much popular to the employees and it receives a large support from a majority of the employees.
The quality of the services of the human resources department
It was important that I did an analysis regarding the quality of the human resources department of the Dubai police. This was to satisfy my main objective of investigating whether the police officers had confidence in their human resources department. Quality is very important as it dictates the level of satisfaction of the employees. Lack of quality translates to lack of satisfaction. My analysis was based on the listed questions (in Table 3.4 below) that I asked to the police officers who participated in the study. From the analysed results, I concluded that the human resources department of the Dubai police had extra-ordinary qualities, judging by the mean values and the standard deviations. The results of the quality ratings are summarised in Table 3.4 below.
Table 3.4 Summary of the quality characters
Quality character
Mean Value
Standard Deviation
The services are rendered accurately
6.78
0.45
There is no delay in dissemination of services
6.31
0.71
Training services are available
6.94
0.24
The staffs are presentable and professional
6.41
0.58
Flexible opening and closing hours
6.63
0.49
The employee welfare is catered for
6.22
0.68
The quality of the employee’s service is excellent
6.22
0.68
Overall Mean value
6.50
The image of the Human Resources Department
I did an analysis in regards to how the police officers perceived the image of the human resources to be. In most organisations it is common for the employees to point out the failures of their human resource, rather than celebrate their achievements. This analysis was to enable me investigate whether the police officers had assurance from their human resource team. The questions I asked in regards to this attribute are listed in Table 3.5 below. From the analysis, I can conclude that a large portion of the police officers had belief in the human resource team, judging by the high mean values and the standard deviations. The results of the human resources’ image ratings are summarised in Table 3.5 below.
Table 3.5 Summary of the image attributes
Image of the Human Resources Department
Mean Value
Standard Deviation
The employees’ treatment is fair
6.16
0.65
The dissemination of services is convenient
6.78
0.42
The department has a rich history.
6.78
0.45
Minimum levels of inequity
4.66
0.76
Quicker response to concerns
5.69
0.71
Pleasant treatment
5.88
0.93
Good reputation
6.41
0.64
Overall Mean value
6.20
The reliability of the human resources
Many employed people that I know of normally complain about the unreliability of their human resources departments. Once in a while, they complain of unfairness, delayed salaries or bonuses, and so forth. Given my short stay in the Human Resources Department of the Dubai police, I decided to investigate the reliability of the department by asking the respondents some questions which are listed in Table 3.6 below. The results point out that the department is actually reliable, judging by the high mean values and standard deviations.
Table 3.6 Summary of the reliability attributes
Reliability of the Human Resource Department
Mean Value
Standard deviation
The human resources department is my top department
5.38
0.60
I plan to revisit this restaurant again
5.80
0.80
I am happy with my visits to the human resources department
5.84
0.88
I interact with the human resources department regularly
5.92
0.78
I would commend a colleague to visit the human resources department
5.94
0.92
Overall Mean value
5.76
Conclusion and recommendations
Results of my internship
Taking into account my duration as an intern in Dubai police, I understood that I was fruitful to accumulate a considerable measure of critical learning encounters which would be useful in my future career. The human resources division of Dubai police provided me adequate space and opportunities to learn as well as to show my aptitudes as a human resource colleague. My commitments were all around perceived by the association. I effectively finished all the allocated obligations and gave them over to the senior manager toward the end of the temporary position. I attempted to upgrade the information in the Medical Insurance Data Sheet to the best of my insight.
The SPPS was likewise effectively directed and the fulfilled police officers requested a bigger number of items than expected to satisfy their necessities. They likewise anticipated and asked for a greater amount of such plans. I additionally all around helped the TTT which gave my work a considerable measure of recognition. Since the human resources department is the office that interfaces every one of the divisions of any association, I was acquainted with numerous office heads and seniors who gave me a more extensive view of the police force. My help to a few of the moderators utilizing slideshows and PowerPoint turned out to be a pivotal backing in numerous presentations.
My experience provided me with a strong establishment to comprehend diverse corporate society. Along these lines, I was very easy to get along in the office that conveyed bigger obligations. Also, this temporary job in the human resources department of the Dubai police has sharpened by comprehension of human resource by and by. It provided me with a vital presentation and an insider look of such a major association. I could utilize my hypothetical learning of human resource in genuine practice while taking part in numerous exchanges. I was effectively included in the division meetings where I shared my insight and perspectives with respect to the execution in the human resources department of Dubai police.
Recommendations
There is a privilege of every worker to be included in occasional meetings for the sole purpose of examining their execution and clearing up their expectations. These sessions will be more profitable when the director and his subordinates will take them as a beneficial one if there will be two-way correspondence. Such meetings or exercises ought not to be planned all of a sudden, these gatherings ought to be booked at the legitimate time and everybody ought to be educated well in front of the session and besides, these sessions ought to incorporate chances for self-evaluation and reaction of the supervisors.
The boss ought to stay in touch with the representative to guarantee the preparation encounters are delivering the fancied effect. The worker advancement objectives ought to be perceived as honest to goodness, and arrangements ought to be made to achieve the objectives through formative encounters or training. Empowering improvement is a proficient obligation. It also persuades a representative to seek after extra responsibilities. There are a couple of suggestions based upon my comprehension and information. They are:
The TTT project ought to be a normal activity in the Dubai police, where other senior officers ought to likewise get the chance to improve their intellect.
Additional team building exercises and cross-departmental activities ought to be presented so that the offices can interface and share ideas on how to improve the livelihoods of the police force.
There should be a standard format for entering the dates in the Medical Insurance Data Sheet, for the sake of uniformity. The prevailing practice confounds the beneficiary of the information. For instance, it is hard to comprehend if 4/1/2015 is fourth January 2010 or first April 2010.
The SPPS conveys items to the police officers, and then again it may be exorbitant to be brought home to the police officers who live a long way from the town centres. They are required to bear the costs to take the item to their homes. In this way, procurement like a token can be presented where a police officer can complete their purchase from the closest merchant without any hindrances. This will permit the worker to choose and try the goods, pick the shading and spare a great deal on transportation. This likewise diminishes the workload on the human resources department.
References
Ariss, A., & Dessler, G. (2012). Human Resource Management (Arab World Edition). New York: Pearson.
Baruch, Y. (2003). Managing Careers: Theory and Practice. New York: Financial Times Press.
Blassingame, K. (2003). Expert Cites Ethics for Business. Journal of Employee Benefit, 17(12), 1-21.
Cabrera, F., & Cabrera, A. (2003). Strategic Human Resource Evaluation. Human Resource Planning, 26(1), 41-50.
Charan, R., Barton, D., & Carey, D. (2015). People Before Strategy: A New Role for the CHRO. Harvard Business Review, 93(7), 62-71.
Couzins, M., & Beagrie, S. (2005). How to streamline your processes. Journal of Personnel Management, 12(1), 35-35.
Hall, D. (1995). Executive Careers and Learning: Aligning Selection, Strategy, and Development. Human Resource Planning, 18(2), p 14-23.
Harazin, P., & Pádár, K. (2013). Measuring and evaluating the added value of human resources management, knowledge management, and organizational learning. International Journal of Management Cases, 15(4), 37-47.
Ibrahim, E. (2004). Measuring Training Effectiveness. Journal of Management Research, 4(3), 147-155.
Mahendra, A. (2013). Soft Skills Training in the Indian Context: Need to Prevent Cultural Hegemony. IUP Journal of Soft Skills, 7(3), 46-50.
McDermott, D., & Neault, A. (2011). In-house career coaching: an international partnership. Journal of Employment Counseling, 48(3), 121-128.
Overview: About Dubai Police. (2014). Web.
Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2013). Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of Your Professional and Personal Life. New York: Prentice Hall.
Prince, E. (2013). The Advantage: The Seven Soft Skills You Need To Stay One Step Ahead. New York: Pearson.
Rees, J., Mamman, A., & Braik, A. (2007). Emiratization as a strategic HRM change initiative: case study evidence from a UAE petroleum company. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 18(1), 33-53.
Stone, M. (2013). Ownership: Critical Thinking. New York: Prentice Hall.
The accreditation provided by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) aims to ensure that police department are capable of fulfilling their mission and complying with the national safety and security standards. The paramount benefit of the Law Enforcement Accreditation Program (LEAP) is that it promotes greater accountability and professionalism (“Benefits of accreditation,” 2016). Based on the continuous review and adjustment, the LEAP promotes the revision of policies to provide the most relevant services to the population. The community-oriented policies enhance community relationships and create the platform for collaboration between citizens and the police. For example, in the case of suspecting something illegal, the citizens are likely to be open to report it and contribute to the investigation. However, as reported by Johnson (2015), accreditation proved to be not associated with officers’ engagement in community-focused activities.
Professional excellence is an integral benefit of the accreditation as both internal and external aspects are to be evaluated by the CALEA and improved if required. The mentioned organization provides the best opportunities for police officers to grow professionally and be committed to their department, which is achieved through workplace satisfaction, confidence in success, and pride in one’s work (“Law enforcement,” 2019). Access to the practices adopted by other accredited agencies is the related advantage that is useful to design a network of interacting departments. As an example, it is possible to note the consolidation of fire services and police (Wilson & Grammich, 2017). In addition, professional development is accompanied by training and a sophisticated management approach. For instance, increased accountability is regarded as the outcome of the proactive management and resources given to employees. Clearly defined goals and guidelines make sure that police officers become experts on responding to various threats to follow criminal justice principles.
The status of an accredited law enforcement agency facilitates the process of obtaining liability insurance and reducing connected costs. The certification is useful in protecting against lawsuits, while the number of complaints declared by the citizens is likely to decrease (“Benefits of accreditation,” 2016). Another benefit is associated with the introduction of an internal affairs unit by the accredited police departments. According to Hougland and Wolf (2017), it allowed reducing the number of citizens’ complaints and improving investigation results. In particular, the use of the Civilian Complaint Review Board proved to be less effective compared to the internal affairs unit method.
The use of evidence-based practices should also be listed, among other issues that positively impact police actions and society as a whole. Instead of the introduction of these practices, the CALEA implies adapting them to the local contexts. For example, the neighborhoods with a high level of minor criminal activity require closer cooperation with the citizens, while drug sale entails punitive measures. The necessary changes may be applied in many agencies without additional challenges on federal and state levels.
Considering the significance of the identified benefits, the role of accreditation for police departments cannot be overestimated. They should be required to receive accreditation to adjust management, promote professional growth, and pay attention to community and government relations. Most importantly, the status of the accredited organizations ensures that the police act in consistency with legal and ethical national standards. The recognition of the success, as well as better public confidence, also points to the need to promote the accreditation for police departments across the US.
Question: What are the ways the police officers can use to communicate with the community members in terms of the standards prescribed by the CALEA?
References
Benefits of accreditation. (2016). Web.
Hougland, S., & Wolf, R. (2017). Accreditation in police agencies: Does external quality assurance reduce citizen complaints? The Police Journal, 90(1), 40-54.
Johnson, R. R. (2015). Examining the effects of agency accreditation on police officer behavior. Public Organization Review, 15(1), 139-155.
Wilson, J. M., & Grammich, C. A. (2017). Consolidation of police and fire services in the United States. International Criminal Justice Review, 27(3), 203-221.
The experience of policing shows that it is effective only with the support and trust of the society and the creation of partnerships between the police and the population. In developed countries, there is a process of improving the interaction between the people and the police so that the rights and freedoms of people could be ensured by creating a system of their protection from criminal encroachments, which results in the growth of public confidence in the police (Kwak, Dierenfeldt, & McNeeley, 2019).
The above means that the main task of a police officer should be to establish a partnership between the police and society, in which all state structures and the population actively cooperate in solving problems of ensuring public peace and law and order. Hence, the first crucial aspect of the instruction is to convey to Curaçao citizens the idea that the police protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual, especially human life, preventing and solving crimes, providing assistance and services to society in order to reduce the level of fear of crime, the possibility of bodily harm and the emergence of social unrest (Papp et al., 2019).
Given the fact that social networks are tight and everyone knows each other in Curaçao, people should clearly understand the goals that the police aim to achieve. To that end, public dialogue is to be established – the official police website should contain elaborated profiles of the employees with links to their pages on social media. Citizens should feel free to reach a police representative and to use modern, convenient, and easy-to-use tools.
Then, the main prerequisite for partnership between police officers and civilians is the apparent necessity to improve the extent of public involvement in ensuring security and public order. The quality of citizens’ trust in the police is the basis of the partnership model when the police serve people (Jackson & Bradford, 2019; Pickett & Ryon, 2017). The effectiveness of power in a democratic state depends on the quality of its interaction with this civil society.
With the partnership model, the population not only directly participates in the protection of law and order but also timely informs the police about all situations that may threaten them, which, in turn, increases the efficiency of the police (Hamm, Trinker, & Carr, 2017). The latter must be accessible to the population, know the people in the territory under its jurisdiction and be known to it, respond to the needs of the people, listen to the problems of citizens, attract and mobilize the population, and report on their actions and the results achieved. In this regard, police representatives should provide monthly reports on their cooperation with citizens, which will contain the highlights of the previous month and goals for the following one.
The qualitative solution by the police to the tasks facing it depends on the personal qualities of the employees, their general and legal culture, the level of legal awareness and professional skill, and the ability to establish relationships with the population (Nanes, 2018). These characteristics serve as factors not only for adherence to law but also for the effective work of the police in ensuring the protection of people. The police are obliged to carry out this activity both on their own initiative and at the request of citizens who are entitled to independently protect their violated rights and freedoms.
Among the crucial aspects of a police officer’s activities, openness and publicity should be consolidated (Tengpongsthorn, 2017). It might be stated that the former is a public authority that is embodied in the capability of an interested person to see and understand the essence of solutions and documentation within the given scope – that is, to clearly understand the content of police work. Publicity, on the other hand, implies respect for fundamental rights. It is manifested in citizens’ possibility to take part in a dialogue with society, and the media and to cooperate with them. Such a state of affairs may be established due to the mentioned public dialogue and contacts of the police with citizens; in this case, people will inevitably report on the illegal drug traffic and strikes, which are severe issues for Curaçao.
One of the directions for the implementation of the above principle is the creation of public councils to jointly defend common interests in the law enforcement sphere. By carrying out the function of mediation between the state and civil society, public councils are called upon to ensure the coordination of socially significant interests of citizens and public authorities in order to maintain law and order and public safety (Sestoft, Hansen, & Christensen, 2017).
The tasks of public control over the actions of police officers include the process of assessing the work of the police, a positive impact on its activities, increasing the level of public confidence in the police actions, as well as ensuring close interaction of the police with people; maintaining transparency and openness; the formation of intolerance in society towards the corrupt behavior of police officers; strengthening the confidence of the police itself in the initiatives of the public, mechanisms of public control.
References
Hamm, J., Trinker, R., & Carr, D. (2017). Fair process, trust, and cooperation: moving toward an integrated framework of police legitimacy. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 44(9), 1183–1212.
Jackson, J., & Bradford, B. (2019). Blurring the distinction between empirical and normative legitimacy? A methodological commentary on ‘police legitimacy and citizen cooperation in China’. Asian Journal of Criminology, 14, 265–289.
Kwak, H., Dierenfeldt, R., & McNeeley, S. (2019). The code of the street and cooperation with the police: Do codes of violence, procedural injustice, and police ineffectiveness discourage reporting violent victimization to the police? Journal of Criminal Justice, 60, 25–34.
Nanes, M. (2018). Policing in divided societies: Officer inclusion, citizen cooperation, and crime prevention. Conflict Management and Peace Science, 37(5), 580–604.
Papp, J., Smith, B., Wareham, J., & Wu, Y. (2019). Fear of retaliation and citizen willingness to cooperate with police. Policing and society, 29(6), 623–639.
Pickett, J., & Ryon, S. (2017). Procedurally just cooperation: Explaining support for due process reforms in policing. Journal of Criminal Justice, 48, 9–20.
Sestoft, D., Hansen, S., & Christensen, A. (2017). The police, social services, and psychiatry (PSP) cooperation as a platform for dealing with concerns of radicalization. International Review of Psychiatry, 29(4), 350–354.
Tengpongsthorn, W. (2017). Factors affecting the effectiveness of police performance in Metropolitan Police Bureau. Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences, 38(1), 38–44.
Military conflicts are a primary cause for the formation of the majority of inter-governmental organizations (IGOs), and the United Nations (UN) is no exception. War has been the most pressing issue in global politics since the formation of the first human civilizations. Thus, the main objective of many IGOs is maintaining relative peace and ensuring security. States unite under the leadership of a certain inter-governmental institution and work together in order to solve conflicts in international politics. This way, they can ensure they remain secure in the global arena. It is evident that “despite being the most destructive century in human history, the twentieth was also the century of developing various governance approaches for preventing war.”1 This essay is going to examine the limits and possibilities of the United Nations as a global police force and negotiation facilitator. The purpose of the paper is to address the failures and successes of the organization’s peace initiatives in an effort to evaluate its ability to ensure greater global security. It will especially center on the transformations in the nature of international conflicts as one of the biggest challenges the UN faces nowadays.
The Scope of the UN Authority
As the primary crisis-management institution in international politics, the United Nations is tasked with imposing binding regulations on all of the member states to ensure peace and maintain global security. The Security Council’s 15 members, only 5 of which are permanent and meet on a regular basis. Some of the subsidiary organs of the Council are ad hoc committees and global criminal tribunals. In addition, within the United Nations Secretariat, there are the Peacekeeping Operations and Operational Support departments, which organize field-based operations. Moreover, there is a relatively new Peacekeeping Commission, which was founded in 20052 to serve as an advisor on the best strategies and practices for maintaining global security. It is important to note its structure has remained relatively the same since its formation in the middle of the 20th century3. This has been a topic of heated debate since the Council’s unchanged strategies and structure are regarded as the primary causes of the UN’s failure to efficiently respond to major military conflicts in Syria, Rwanda, and Crimea.
The scope of the United Nations’ authority in regards to policing international conflicts and negotiating is regulated by Chapter VI and Chapter VII of the UN Charter. Chapter VI authorizes the Security Council to act as a negotiator between parties in international disputes, using arbitration and a variety of other peaceful methods4. Chapter VII, on the other hand, allows the Council to impose sanctions and engage armed forces in an effort to restore peace5. It is apparent that such peacekeeping operations are the primary initiatives of the UN since, in mid-2020, the Security Council “was overseeing thirteen operations across three continents, involving a total of roughly one hundred thousand uniformed personnel”6. It is evident that the scope of the UN authority in regards to enforcement and negotiation is broad, which is why the organization’s actions, or the lack of them, are extremely impactful on the arena of global politics.
The Goals of the UN
The United Nations is arguably the most influential inter-governmental organization in the world, which is why it addresses a variety of issues that expand beyond national boundaries. Although the primary concern of those founding the UN was security and peace, the organization has soon adapted to the global environment and its problems. As a result, nowadays, the UN emphasizes “initial goals of safeguarding peace, protecting human rights, establishing the framework for international justice and promoting economic and social progress,”7 which are now accompanied by putting an end to global warming, AIDS, and the global refugee crisis. Nevertheless, peacekeeping operations and negotiations remain some of the most prioritized and visible initiatives of the organization.
On the one hand, it is self-evident that the issues the UN aims to solve are too large for any single state or a regional organization to deal with. Some states and regions do not have enough resources or influence in international politics to protect their people from hunger, diseases, and civil unrest. In addition, a conflict arising between different countries is doomed if there is no disinterested party coordinating a peaceful resolution. Thus, the problems the United Nations tries to solve warrant the power and the immense scope of responsibilities it possesses today.
On the other hand, the UN’s failure to ensure peace in some instances has led to an increasing number of arguments against universal action in favor of regional initiatives. The opposition claims that the specific problems can be resolved locally utilizing the influence of community institutions. In addition, global inter-governmental organizations such as the UN are criticized for the constant exploitation of collective frameworks by powerful members. For instance, some experts agree that some military conflicts are ignored by the UN because of their connection to one or multiple states with veto power. An example of this could be the Rwandan genocide8, which got overlooked because potential intervention went against the interests of the United States and France.
Regional organizations are considered an appealing alternative to global institutions such as the UN. The impact local initiatives can have is promising since regional institutions “have played an increasingly important role in peacekeeping and conflict resolution, in some cases prodding the council to action and in others acting as subcontractors on its behalf.”9 Some of the reasons behind the effectiveness of community-initiated solutions are the familiarity of the community with the sources of the conflict as well as people’s genuine investment in the resolution of local issues. Despite the attractiveness of regional organizations as a substitution for the United Nations in regards to peacekeeping, such institutions remain vulnerable. They have a high risk of becoming dominated by local powers, which can result in them abusing collective action for their own sinister purposes.
The Instruments of Enforcement and Containment
The United Nations’ primary instruments of conflict resolution include peacekeeping operations, humanitarian intervention projects, as well as nuclear disarmament. Since the 1950s, the organization has completed over 50 peace operations10 in an effort to efficiently respond to civil wars and other emergencies. By deploying peacekeepers, the UN generates opportunities for negotiations in land disputes, legalizes local peace agreements, and engages in reconciliation efforts. However, sometimes, the United Nations takes a more aggressive approach and combines military operations and civilian projects. Thus, a peacekeeper can be armed to protect refugees or civilians while being tasked with policing or legal administration in local institutions. Another tool for enforcement is collective sanctions used against states and non-state actors, which have violated the norms of international law.
Key Limitations of the Ability of the UN to Ensure Greater Global Security
The United Nations remains a vital tool for maintaining international peace and security. Nevertheless, the nature of conflict has changed significantly, with an increased number of instances of civil unrest and internalized tensions. The advancements in warfare methods and the growing involvement of powerful UN members in proxy wars11 limit the capabilities of the organization in regards to intervention and containment. Conventional wars have almost ceased to exist, with non-state actors becoming more influential. Thus, the Security Council faces the challenge of holding authoritative leadership and non-state organizations accountable for various violations of customary international law. The UN’s shortfalls in Syria12 are one of many examples of the limitations the organization faces due to its inability to tackle multi-faceted conflicts as well as the abuse of power by P-5 members. The United Nations needs to be reformed to face modern challenges. First, increasing the number of permanent members could ensure better representation of new regional superpowers. Second, the Security Council has to put some limitations on the use of the veto power. The likelihood of such changes is low since the P-5 members refuse to reduce their current power in the UN.
Conclusion
The United Nations is the world’s largest inter-governmental organization tasked with ensuring global peace and security. It has numerous effective tools and mechanisms for assisting with the aftermath of military conflict or conducting negotiations. However, the present structure of the institution makes it inefficient in addressing the current challenges of modern war. Thus, there is a need for organizational reform for the UN to remain a preserver of global security.
Karns, Margaret P., Mingst, Karen A., and Kendall W. Stiles. International Organizations: The Politics and Processes of Global Governance. 3rd ed. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2015. VitalSource.
United Nations. “Global Issues Overview.” UN. 2020. Web.
Footnotes
Margaret P. Karns, Karen A. Mingst, and Kendall W. Stiles, International Organizations: The Politics and Processes of Global Governance, 3rd ed. (Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2015), 282. VitalSource.
Council on Foreign Relations, “The UN Security Council,” CFR, 2020. Web.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
United Nations, “Global Issues Overview,” UN. 2020. Web.
Samantha Lakin, “Lessons from the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Rwanda, 25 Years After the Genocide It Failed to Stop,” The Conversation, 2019.
Council on Foreign Relations, “The UN Security Council”
Ibid.
Nina, Kalantar, “The Limitations and Capabilities of the United Nations in Modern Conflict,” E-International Relations, 2019. Web.
A police management system is essential to monitor the staff performance and crime incidence. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) developed Compare Statistics or COPMSTAT crime tracking method, quickly becoming popular in other states and globally (Eterno et al. 886). The purpose of this system was the reduction of felony cases by tracking on a map and gradually eradicating them. Indeed, according to Eterno et al., the crime index dropped by 80% over the last thirty years (886). However, many people were concerned that COMPSTAT would make police officers focus on bureaucratic issues and move them away from their primary mission taught in the academy.
It appears that the police’s role is not just reducing crimes in the streets but also protecting citizens’ Constitutional rights, prevention of corruption, and ensuring community partnerships (Eterno et al. 887). Implementation of COMPSTAT seems to transform police departments’ goal to generating good statistical reports than protecting democracy. Still, the original objective of this management system was to eliminate the numbers game in police departments. Therefore, this essay aims to discuss the initial function of designing COMPSTAT and how it should be used properly.
The original purpose of COMPSTAT was to obliterate the bureaucracy that was discouraging many police officers who used to face the harsh reality on the field that significantly deviated from the values they learned. One of the founders of this system, commissioner William Bratton, changed the NYPD structure, which resulted in the improvement of cooperation between officers, and “all were working in unison” (Eterno et al. 895).
Unfortunately, when Bratton left, the police department distorted COMPSTAT’s function, and staff started to experience the pressure to fill spreadsheets with numbers of solved crimes. According to Eterno et al., many retired officers reported that they were forced to write more summonses regardless of their legitimacy, indicating the return of bureaucracy (894). However, this system could be utilized more wisely considering the main mantras of COMPSTAT.
Establishing good communication with citizens and developing effective strategies serve as the foundation for police departments’ successful and productive work. Indeed, the four-part mantra of COMPSTAT includes effective tactics, follow-up assessment, timely intelligence, and quick deployment (Eterno et al. 897). Firstly, attaining accurate intelligence requires assessing information from various sources, including the community, that demands police to gain public trust. Secondly, developing effective tactics in COMPSTAT differs from the traditional methods because it ensures collaboration between police officers regardless of geographic and hierarchical differences (Eterno et al. 897). Thirdly, this system requires rapid deployment of people and resources to increase work efficiency.
Finally, assessment and follow-up are essential for determining if the introduced strategies helped achieve a successful outcome (Eterno et al. 899). Overall, COMPSTAT has a tremendous potential to reduce crimes and raise police status in society if appropriately employed.
To summarize, COMPSTAT is a management system that can elevate the effectiveness of police departments. For instance, introducing this system in New York City reduced the crime index significantly. Moreover, this system can improve collaboration between officers and raise public trust in police, critical for increasing felony reporting. However, the current utilization of COMPSTAT seems to aim to achieve a favorable statistic, which is a substantial deviation from its original mission. Thus, police departments should return to implementing the four mantras of COMPSTAT to reduce bureaucracy and serve their primary goals.
Works Cited
Eterno, John A., et al. “Police Leadership of Tomorrow: Comprehensive COMPSTAT Performance Management Moving from Stagnation to Innovation.” Police Practice and Research, vol. 22, no. 1, 2021, pp. 886-902.
Encouraging collaboration between a community and its law enforcement units is critical to maintaining the safety and well-being of the people inhabiting it. Therefore, cooperation with the police should be regarded as an essential step in maintaining the security of the area and its inhabitants. In order to foster collaboration between police and my community member, I would use the SARA Model (Scanning, Analysis, Response, Assessment) to incorporate a combination of environmental surveys and partnership strategies for building commitment.
The increase in collaboration rates must be managed as a complex issue in the target setting. At the Scanning stage, one will notice a spur in the levels of police brutality observed recently, which has caused most community members to view law enforcement units with suspicion. Therefore, applying the Analysis element of the SARA model suggests that open communication must be facilitated to regain trust and engage community members (Miller et al., 2020). As a response stage of the model, environmental surveys must be introduced to respond to the issue (Miller et al., 2020). Environmental surveys will increase the extent of citizens’ agency, while supplying the police with crucial information about the target setting.
Furthermore, partnership strategies must be integrated to increase the level of trust in police among community residents as the response step of the SARA model. The integration of partnership frameworks will help attain two critical goals, namely, keeping the target demographic engaged in the policing process and changing their perception of the police toward a more positive one (Miller et al., 2020). Finally, the Assessment stage will involve comparing the security levels within the community before and after the integration of the community engagement approach. With the combination of the two methods in question, a rise in collaboration between the community and the police is to be expected.
To address the current issues within my community, a combined approach involving the use of community surveys and partnership strategies will be required. Since the target community perceives law enforcement with mixed feelings due to increased police violence, the emphasis on promoting trust must be reinforced. The specified outcome can be produced by fostering communication between the police and community members, as well as increasing the extent of engagement in policing the community among its members.
Reference
Miller, L. S., More, H. W., & Braswell, M. C. (2020). Effective police supervision. Routledge.