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Comparative Study of Policing Models

Policing is one of the most important of the functions undertaken by the every sovereign
government. For the state machinery, police is an inevitable organ which would ensure
maintenance of law and order, and also the first link in the criminal justice system. On the other
hand, for common man, police force is a symbol of brute force of authority and at the same
time, the protector from crime. Police men get a corporate identity from the uniform they
wear; the common man identifies, distinguishes and awes him on account of the same uniform.
The police systems across the world have developed on a socio cultural background, and for this
reason alone huge differences exist between these police systems. From the singular
coordinated centralised system of police in Saudi Arabia organised under the Ministry of Interior
to the 42000 odd police forces that exist in USA, policing mainly rests on either of the two
broad principles: (1) Policing by consent and (2) Policing by law.

Let us tries to examine the various police systems that exist in the world, taking Saudi Arabia,
China, France, Spain, United Kingdom, the United States of America and India, as examples of
various types of policing models. The paper takes cue from these systems, their positives and
negatives, and tries to find out how the Indian System, can be understood in the light of these
policing models.

The role of a modern police organisation is laid down succinctly in the above quote
appearing in the web page of UK Home Office. The first idea that comes to our mind
when we hear the term “Police” is the idea of a dominant personality who symbolizes
the power of the State and criminal justice administration system. On the one hand
people view police as a protector of civil liberties and on the other hand police is viewed
as a symbol of brute force of state which oppresses the legitimate protests with force.

Dictionaries define Police -as the governmental department charged with the
regulation and control of the affairs of a community, now chiefly the department
established to maintain order, enforce the law, and prevent and detect crime.

Significance of Police in Social life:

Police:

1. Represents the presence of civil body politic in everyday life.

2. Conveys a sense of power or sacredness that lies at the root of political order.
3. Represents the means by which the political authorities maintain status quo.
4. Represent the capacity of state to deter citizens from committing acts that threaten
the order they are believed to symbolize.
5. Gives a corporate identity to the police men . 

Basic goals of Policing:

1. Enforce laws
2. Preserve peace
3. Prevent Crimes
4. Protect civil rights, liberties
5. Provide services