How privatization of police and community policing have changed law Term Paper

How privatization of police and community policing have changed law enforcement - Term Paper Example With no rules to govern them, private police also become intrusive. In order to achieve law enforcement without compromising on right to security and without intrusions, extensive propagation of community police model can help. Many people consider law enforcement as synonymous with policing. In the late 20th century, the systems of law enforcement and crime control in many modern nations have undergone a paradigm shift. For many centuries, government employed police had the responsibility of enforcing law. Early 1980s saw the evolution of pluralized policing; apart from government employed police or public police, private security personnel, and communities started offering paid and voluntary police services, respectively (Bayley & Shearing, 1996). They have affected law enforcement to such an extent that many new definitions of the word police include these forms of police service as well. In order to understand how these systems have changed law enforcement, we shall consider the evolution of these systems, law enforcement in these systems, their limitations, and possible solutions. Private police or private security is not a new concept — since ancient times groups of mercenaries have been selling their services, be it as guards, as warriors, or as bounty hunters. Before World War II, this system had an unfavorable reputation, viewed as motley gangs of heavies hired either to spy or to use illegal force. Both civilians and the police considered them a "dangerous and unauthorized intrusion by private interests into a government preserve" (Bayley & Shearing, 1996). With increasing crime rates in the 20th century, overburdened police forces and the public began to consider them a necessity. Since 1980s, many governments have started to outsource to private security agencies (Bayley & Shearing, 1996). Today, private police outnumber public police in many nations, including in the United States. Community policing on the other hand is a