Community Policing Service

Theory of community policing was theorized in London city by police manager of that time Robert Pill in 1829 when modern police was established. While explaining the root of community policing, Sir Robert Pill said that ‘community is police and police is community’. Nevertheless, this idea was started to be implemented as police system and method in 1979 after Herman Goldstein transmitted and expanded the theory to problem solver police.

Even though, crime was extremely increased before 1980 especially in North America, there was community problem and rebellions. Some documents verify that in 1980s the theory was begun to be used since the police themselves couldn’t solve the problem that were in society at that time. This new police service is known as community policing. The starting point of this new theory describes that police cannot work alone if there is no community support especially in preventing and investigating crimes.

This theory focused on three major things. These are: - partnership, problem solving, and institutional transformation. At this time the theory is taking place in different countries of the world. The theory of community policing started to be used in Ethiopia in 1989 E.C. The theory didn’t record any concrete profit until resent time because this new theory was not understood obviously by the beneficiary. After it was decided to be invested in Ethiopia, Oromia regional state is one of the Ethiopians regions those begun movement to invest it at the first time. It is impossible to say the philosophy was invested as it was intended to be because there were no deep understanding of the theory. The crime prevention lesson that had been given for the last 10 years didn’t focus on the principles of community policing. It was not evaluating the change and result other than counting the number of community who are given the lesson.

Generally, it is possible to say the awareness that had been being given for community on crime prevention was not in a way that reflects the community policing philosophy and strengthen the community participation.After while, since the advantage of community policing became realized, it had been begun to be given even at localities in 2002 E.C.by some officers those had been trained this theory before. After that the work of community policing begun to bring practically profitable change in the region. Even now a lot of community policing officers have been delivering intheexpanded structure of community policing from the region to localities.

On the other hand, the work had been going on was not verified in its correctness because its strategies, code, guidance, manual, were not supported by the results of investigation. This made the implementation of community policing to be different at zones, districts and localities found in the region. It is possible to say that the problem of commitment and understanding of police officers and police members have on implementing community policing according to our regional situation is one of the higher problems found in the region. For this reason the view had been being given and is being given for this community policing is weak.

The police officers’ precedence for other work than the community policing, employing of incompetent police members for this field, and the problem of attitude some members have for community policing, thepreference of some members other work to community policing can be counted among attitude problems police members have for it. Due to the difference of emphasis and determination of officials and members of different level on this issue, it is possible to realize that still it is not achieved when it compared with the intended goal. So, the commission has started to work in order to make the community policing accessible to community and can bring profitable change by solving these mentioned problems and others. As the commission is preparing the strategies and guidance by which the process will be led, it will be made that the managers and police members of the region at different levels get the awareness forwards. Moreover, the work of expanding the understanding of participants and community will be at different places in the case of implementing the strategy.

Let us verify a reliable and sustainable peace and security in line of community policing together!