Essay: Policing Methods in Criminal Justice - NSW vs. Government

This essay provides an introduction to criminal justice by focusing on the policing methods employed in New South Wales (NSW) and contrasting them with the policing model suggested by the Australian government. It defines policing as an agency responsible for maintaining law and order, preventing crime, and ensuring public safety, highlighting the responsibilities of the police force. The essay explores community-oriented policing, practiced in NSW, which emphasizes building relationships with the public and proactive crime prevention. It contrasts this with the government's centralized and bureaucratic policing model, influenced by the country's colonial past. The essay concludes by suggesting the need for police reforms in NSW to bridge the gap between the government and the police force, ensuring maximum security and safety for the community. It references various sources to support its analysis, including government websites and academic journals.

Running head: INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE
INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Name of Student
Name of University
Author Note

1INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION:..........................................................................................................................2
DISCUSSION:.................................................................................................................................2
CONCLUSION:..............................................................................................................................3
REFERENCES:...............................................................................................................................4

2INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE
INTRODUCTION:
This essay focuses on different methods of policing adopted and practiced in New South
Wales and its prominent difference from the policing model suggested by the government. There
are a number of definitions and meanings of the term ‘policing’ varying from person to person,
but the most common definition of police is it is an agency that has the responsibility of maintain
the law and public order in a particular area by catching lawbreakers, as well as regulating the
social life of people to ensure the highest safety and security (Sage 2007). Their responsibilities
also include investigating and preventing criminal actions, protecting people, managing
emergency duties and enforcing the law (Broadhurst and Davies 2009).
DISCUSSION:
Different methods of policing are practiced in different regions depending upon the
situations of that particular region. In New South Wales, community-oriented policing is
practiced. The vision of the NSW Police Force is to build good relationships with public, work
with community to help reduce and prevent crime, especially violent crimes (Police.nsw.gov.au
2017).
The NSW police force practices proactive policing to detect and prevent a crime from
happening and to educate people of their safety. The NSW police are also responsible for
protecting people and properties. Community-oriented policing is where the police forces try to
build strong ties and believe in working closely with the people of the community in which they
are serving. In this type of policing, the police forces are informed by the members of the
community about any suspicious activity that needs addressing in order to protect the society.

3INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE
The main benefit of this type of policing lies in the fact that it develops a trust-sharing
relationship between the community and the police force. The people help the police forces to
identify and solve the problems in the community. On the other hand, the police are in a better
condition to react to situations at a very early stage, thereby demotivate criminal activities (Saint-
Claire 2016).
The Australian government policing model is highly centralized and bureaucratic in
nature. The main reason behind this is the country’s colonial past and the past influence of the
British government on the country. The Australian policing also puts high emphasis on law
enforcement agencies and do not promote local development (Bronit and Finnne, 2012). This
centralized and bureaucratic nature of the police is found in many parts of the world such as UK,
India, and USA (Redlinger 2014).
CONCLUSION:
It can thus be concluded that NSW believes in decentralization of the police force,
whereas the government suggest a centralized policing method. A gap has been sometimes seen
to be experienced in the police force because of the aforementioned reason. At times because of
high centralization, the police force face problems in implementing their wills in regard to taking
actions and decisions depending upon their knowledge and the lead they get from the
community. It is therefore suggested that in order to reduce the gap between the government and
the police force and to provide maximum security and safety to the people, police reforms should
be adopted in NSW.

4INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE
REFERENCES:
Broadhurst, R. and Davies, S., 2008. Policing in context: An introduction to police work in
Australia. Oxford University Press.
Bronitt, S. and Finnane, M., 2012. Comparative Perspectives on Australian-American
Policing. Journal of California Law Enforcement, 46(3), pp.18-22.
police.nsw.gov.au (2017). Research With NSW Police Force - NSW Police Public Site. [online]
Police.nsw.gov.au. Available at:
https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/safety_and_prevention/policing_in_the_community/
research_with_nsw_police_force [Accessed 6 May 2019].
Redlinger, L.J., 2014. Community Policing and Changes in the Organizational Structure. Journal
of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 10(1), pp.36-58.
Sage, 2007. What is Policing? [online] Available at:
https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/19049_01_Rowe_Ch_01.pdf
[Accessed 6 May 2019].
Saint-Claire, 2016. Policing Models. [online] Available at:
http://saint-claire.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Policing-Models.pdf [Accessed 6 May 2019].