POLICING IN 2015Peelian Principles

INTRODUCTIONFounder of the Metropolitan Police Sir Robert Peel is also called the

Father of Modern Policing. Most famous for his principles “Peelian Principles” which are serving as the basic underpins of recent policing. Aforementioned principles may be a part of the cause of community policing, like that history illustrating how they have to hold up present era of policing. It should be interesting to note that these principles have become more significant now since the establishment of the police force in 1829. “The old system of law enforcement in England began to collapse as London had grown into a large industrial city with problems of poverty, disorder, ethnic conflict, and crime”.

BACKGROUND

• In 1788, a baby boy born in a wealthy family in Bury, Lancashire named Robert Peel. He was able to get admission from Oxford because his family has never faced any issue of bread and butter. Sir Robert Peel accomplished a Double First in Classic and Mathematics. With the passage of time, Robert’s intellectual abilities and financial support of his father made him able to get a seat, only at the age of 21, in Parliament as a Tory in 1809 and afterward appointed as the Under Secretary of War and Colonies and Chief Secretary of Ireland was his later service. He influenced English Parliament in 1829 to create the London Metropolitan Police, and public safety issues were the core case behind. Well famous “Metropolitan Police Act of 1829” was established and a police force came into being. Newly discovered, police force, with the principles of “mission, strategy and organizational structure” committed to crime prevention. Sir Robert played a major role to build a military structure in the police force, including rank designation, authoritarian system of command.

NINE PRINCIPLES OF PEELIAN• "The basic mission for which the police exist is to prevent crime and

disorder."• First Peelian Principle is simple and is very straight forward; and we can

say that it is the basic mission of any police organization; the phrases “protect and serve”. Police has always in critics about its reactive approach. Little and domestic which may result in big loss and fatality are a case in point. It is very important for police to do well in their number one mission, they need to boost up the capability to communicate and form trusting relationships.

• Community, in every society and in every country, can play a major role in the prevention of crimes, police need to community partnerships in order to identify and solve public safety issues. Many examples can give as an evidence of this ostrich approach to domestic issues, but the most famous instance, was Britain’s worst stadium disaster in 1989, where 96 of Liverpool fans were lost their lives due to severe overcrowding.  

NINE PRINCIPLES OF PEELIAN"The ability of the police to perform their duties is dependent upon

public approval of police actions."

There is a very common public feeling, some experts also have on the same page, that police officers misuse or take advantage of their power. One mistake can destroy the overall police impact, but it is also true that community policing gives emphasis to partnership and coordination between organization and individuals is must to boost up the level of public trust on police.

NINE PRINCIPLES OF PEELIAN"Police must secure the willing co-operation of the public in

voluntary observance of the law to be able to secure and maintain the respect of the public."

The police force needs to understand that what basically the term “willing cooperation” means and how it may possible to maintain the respect of public while doing so. In societies generally and in British communities, particularly there are people from multiple cultures and races. Handling these different cultural background people also need a lot of trainings and education. It is also considerable that not necessarily every person is agreeing to cooperate with police. Although police obviously always in need to gain public cooperation, but as mentioned above it is not a matter to force any community or individual to do so. It is better that some kind of trainings and education delivered publicly along with the police force for doing so. One perception that may damage this culture of cooperation when people heard the news about police corruption and bribery.

NINE PRINCIPLES OF PEELIAN• "The degree of co-operation of the public that can be secured diminishes proportionately to the necessity of the use of physical

force."

This principle explains about how it may possible to minimize the physical force. Again, it may relate to public support and cooperation. Everyone has equal freedom to express his/her views against disputes or debates. Same in the case of police that it is not certain that a police officer or police department’s action can justify through all public. Some may agree with the decisions taken by police, in any general case, while on the other hand many will oppose that.

NINE PRINCIPLES OF PEELIAN• “Police are not there to cater to the public, but to demonstrate

absolute service to the law”

It is a general perception against police that friends or colleagues may gain benefits from police officers, legally or illegally. It may in the shape of corruption, either involvement of cash or even some gifts or something like that. All these may lead a community perception that police may favor in some cases to specific persons, and most probably these persons are friends or relatives of police personnel. We can give argument of a Stephen Lawrence murder case in the favor of this principle. When in 1993 some white boys group murder a black boy named Stephen Lawrence, and it was revealed after many years that investigating police cops was “in direct relation with the gangster father of one of Stephen's killers and deliberately stalled the inquiry”.)

NINE PRINCIPLES OF PEELIAN“Police can use excessive force in only condition when warnings and

advices are seems to be insufficient”

It is very clear that cops should use excessive force in the last stages, if there is no working of advises and warning. They should find the solution with alternative ways and to come with peaceful negotiations considering themselves as proactive. It should be in police training that shooting first and negotiating later is not a good or ethical principle in policing.

NINE PRINCIPLES OF PEELIAN“A police is the public and public is the police”

”

This principle is to be considered the most favorite and important by Sir Robert Peel. Policemen need to be reminded that department is for serving the public. There is no need to consider themselves as “Godfather” or something like “Don” or “Kings”. On the other hand public do not treat them like servants.

NINE PRINCIPLES OF PEELIAN"Police should always direct their action strictly towards their

functions and never appear to usurp the powers of the judiciary”

The basic duty of police forces is to implement the laws not making them and this should must be considered by all police officers. Different areas of laws such as liquor, nuisances, gambling, etc. police need to enforce laws and have authority to arrest a person too, but it is not appreciable if a police force acting like a judge or playing role as an executioner.

NINE PRINCIPLES OF PEELIAN"The test of police efficiency is the absence of crime and disorder,

not the visible evidence of police action in dealing with it”

This is the final principle of Sir Robert’s dealing with the mission of crime prevention. It is not the only duty of a police officer to deal the crime situations in better ways, but the actual duty is to prevent the crime. Cops need a proactive approach to deal with crimes, because if they are not efficient in reducing crime, they actually are not successful in their duty and mission.

REFERENCE

Peter Walker and Daniel G Maxwell, Shaping The Humanitarian World (Routledge 2009).

George Peel, The Work Of Sir Robert Peel And Its Lessons For To-Day (Cobden-Sanderson 1938).

Elke Devroe, Tides And Currents In Police Theories (Maklu 2012).

'The Report Of The Hillsborough Independent Panel' (London: The Stationary Office 2012).

Maurice Punch, Police Corruption (Willan 2009).

JAMES SLACK, 'Corrupt Police Will Be Jailed For Up To 14 Years Under New Laws Brought In Following

Investigation Into Racist Murder Of Stephen Lawrence' Mail Online (2014)

Julian V Roberts and J. M Hough, Understanding Public Attitudes To Criminal Justice (Open University Press 2005).

Gordon Hughes, Understanding Crime Prevention (Open University Press 1998).