Fighting Terrorism Through Community Policing

Abstract

This study examines the role of community policing in counterterrorism based on data collected from interviews with police officers working in the southeast region of Turkey. This case shows that community policing programs provide effective ways of establishing trust between the police/state and citizens while overcoming bilateral prejudgments, increasing citizens’ willingness to seek assistance from the police, and preventing young people from engaging in crime, violence, and terrorist activities. The results of the analysis indicate the positive role of community policing in decreasing insurgency among citizens and offers community policing as an alternative approach in the fight against terrorism.