Community policing: The relevance of social contexts

In this chapter, we conceptualize Community Policing (CP) as a partnership between police and communities, which is largely driven by the specific social contexts in which it occurs. We review the different perspectives and meanings of Community Policing across historical and geographical contexts to illustrate our core argument—that there is no one-size-fits-all-approach to CP. By stressing the relevance of legitimacy and trust, we develop a model for Community Policing that accounts for the complex dynamics between police and their communities. We argue that trust and legitimacy is a mutual process between police and communities where Community Policing can only be successful if the police also trusts their communities and considers the involvement of communities in local safety issues as legitimate. We summarize our model in practical recommendations.