Definitions Of Policing

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"The basic weapon that the citizens of the early modern era learned to use to defend their security and combat danger was their own intense sociability – a complex of human relations and institutions predicated on collective, local, informal and voluntaristic reactions to disorder and law breaking … As a concept, policing was a community duty" (McMullan, 1998, p.95 cited in Baker, 2008). These sentiments show that policing is a concept that has always existed only that over the years it has been modified to suit the changing times and respond to the needs and demands at a particular point in time.

Policing is a term that has attracted various definitions from different scholars. In defining policing, Hills contends that "the focus should …show more content…

To give a wider understanding of the concept of policing, the essay will give three similar definitions of policing. Policing is "the exercise of a particular form of social control encompassing purposeful activities to maintain security within a given social order" (Lofstrand & Uhnoo, 2014, p.76). Johnston defined it as a "purposive strategy involving the initiation of techniques which are intended to offer guarantees of security to subjects" (Johnston, 1999, p.178). A good summary of the definitions was given by Baker when he said policing is " any organized activity, whether by the state or civil groups, that seeks to ensure the maintenance of communal order, security and peace through elements of prevention, deterrence, investigation of breaches, resolution and punishment" (Baker, 2008, …show more content…

This is important because it "removes policing from being an exclusively criminology activity and also sets as a reminder that the state police service is not and can never be the sole provider of policing" (Baker, 2008, p.21). This serves as a point of departure for multi choice policing. The fact that the state is not the sole provider of policing means there are other forms and alternatives to policing in place. These "competitive and parallel alternatives that are available to citizens, offering different levels of policing services is what Baker referred to as multi choice policing" (Baker, 2008, p.7). Multi choice policing, offered by non-state actors, takes different forms such as street associations, mob violence, neighborhood organisations, customary leaders among others (Baker, 2010). These non-state actors happen to be the dominant providers of policing, enjoying local support and effectiveness more than the police (Baker, 2010). For instance, in Africa, "it is estimated that more than 80% of policing services are provided by non-state actors" (Baker, 2010,

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