Community Policing for Conflict Resolution and Community Resilience

Abstract

In many parts of the globalized world, there has been an escalation in conflicts with multi levels of chaos and anarchy leading to huge loss of lives, economic slowdown and most sadly, a sense of fear and uncertainty in the community. Within the third world, ethnic clashes and communal violence are being classed as equal to the threats of terrorism. Efforts of the law enforcing agencies are constantly challenged to resolve community oriented conflicts on their own. Emerging models of conflict resolution to ensure normative order and community resilience require the communities to be their partners. There is an increasing need for the police as the law-enforcing agency to transform into a community-oriented agency since the ground of enforcement is community. The dismal police-population ratio in India (106 police personnel per 0.1 million population) has not only over-burdened the critical forces but have been influencing their performance immensely. In this background, the paper argues how community policing can provide a new perspective with multiple benefits of conflict resolution, peace building, community resilience and most significantly community empowerment. The research is based on an empirical study (based on 10 focus group discussions and in-depth interviews) in Hyderabad, joint capital of the newly formed Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states. The sample includes all ranks of police personnels from constables (staff of police station and lowest in hierarchy) to Director General of Police (DGP-in charge of state police force). The findings indicate that community policing can be an important strategy, an instrumental philosophy, and hope and action for conflict resolution and community resilience.