A General Theory of Community Policing

Kam C. Wong, Xavier University

Abstract

Introduced in the 1970s (in the United States), community policing is a philosophy and strategy to involve and engage the public to fight crime and improve quality of life in their own community.

A cursory review of literature reveals that in spite of its success there is no scientific – logical, predictable, refutable - theory explaining and explicating, predicting and refuting CP practices. This is a first attempt to do so. The theory being proposed: “State police as a social resource theory” (SRT) is a people’s theory of policing. As such it looks at the nature of crime and functions of the police from the people, not state, perspective It postulated that crime as problems to individuals (as an met expectations) can best be dealt with by providing them with resources via the police and other quarters. Police is a social resource person that individuals can turn to temporarily, for emergency relief