Perspectives on the Role of the Police

• Social Contract Perspective

  A perspective that considers the police to be a politically neutral force that acts primarily to enforce the law and protect the public.
• Radical Perspective

  A perspective that views the police as an instrument that is used by the governments and powerful interests to suppress dissent, stifle, protest, and help maintain the status quo.
• Political Policing

  Secretive police investigate activities and surveillance of persons and groups deemed to be a threat to the stability and status quo of the state.
• What is an important component to liberal democracy? What does this component do?

  An important component to liberal democracy is the separation between the police and government. This ensures that the police are not used in a political way to harass and punish political opponents and dissidents.
• What is another important component to liberal democracy that is not the separation between police and government? What does this component do?

  Another important component to liberal democracy is the separation of roles and powers between the courts and the police. It is the police's role to bring suspected offenders before the courts and it is the courts' role to decide on guilt or innocence and to decide on punishment in the case of conviction.
• Four key values the Law Commission of Canada has identified as being essential to policing

  • Justice
  • Equality
  • Accountability
  • Efficiency
• Justice

  The police maintain peace and security in the community while ensuring that individuals are treated fairly and human rights are respected.
• Equality

  All citizens are entitled to policing services that contribute to their feelings of safety and security.
• Accountability

  The actions of police services and officers are subject to review.
• Efficiency

  Policing services must be cost-effective
• What are police expected to be according to the Law Commission of Canada? What do these expectations do?

  Police are expected to be, according to the Law Commission of Canada, are: apolitical, fair, and impartial. What these expectations do is reconcile the tension between the power and authority of the police and their legal mandate to maintain order.
• What is the key issue in the discussion of police work?

  The key issue in the discussion of police work is how to be governed. The police require a degree of operational autonomy to effectively and efficiently carry out their mandated tasks. This means the police need to be free from government interference and influence. However, it is important that the police do not become a political instrument.
• What are the three structures of police governance? Define them.

  The three structures of police governance are:

  1. Police Acts: The legislative framework for police service.
  2. Police Standards: Provisions that set out how police services are to be maintained and delivered.
  3. Police Boards and Police Commissions: Bodies that provide police oversight.