‘Folks Should Have Access … How You Do it is the Difficult Thing’: exploring the importance of leadership to maintaining community policing programmes for the homeless

摘要

In the present paper we examine the operation of a community policing programme that facilitates reporting of victimisation by homeless victims of crime through the assistance of local community service providers. Using data from two sources - our original study of Homeless Remote Reporting in 2003 and a follow-up evaluation conducted in 2008 - we examine the extent to which this programme offers a viable model for policing outreach to homeless communities. Based on stakeholder feedback, we conclude that despite positive endorsements of the programme, this is a programme that is largely defunct because of a lack of leadership. The police have abdicated responsibility for its operation and community groups are unable to assume the responsibility. What we draw from the example that this programme provides is that innovative collaborative modes of governance must take into account ‘the unbearable lightness of community’ and thus the necessity of state actors maintaining active leadership roles.View full textDownload full textKeywordscommunity policing, crime reporting, victims, governanceRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10439461003668484