-- not on the epidemiology of a disease ( i . e ., viral infec-tions , cardiovascular disease ). While medical service at the ER is essential , it will do little to impact the epidemiology of a disease ; that must be done at the community level . It is the community ’ s behavior that will impact the flow of individual cases to the ER . The wider the epidemiology of a disease , the larger the number of incidents that will require hospital ( ER ) treatment . It is not different for crime . Police can arrest criminals , but the impact on the overall number of crimes committed lies within the community ; its magnitude or scope will determine the case load for police .
This was understood by police leaders who in the mid-1980s recommended to stop the revolving door of criminality by promoting community policing . Until the early 1990s there were sets of guidelines as to what community polic-ing was supposed to offer ( Alderson – 1979 ; Trojanowicz and Bucqueroux – 1990 ) but there was no definition .
Community policing is a comprehensive philosophy that guides \ policy and strategy aimed at achieving more effective and efficient crime control , reduced fear of crime , improved quality of life , and improved police services and police legitimacy through a proactive reliance on community resources that seeks to change crime causing conditions . This assumes a need for greater accountability of police , elected community leaders , and the community in general , along with greater public share in decision-making through the identification of service needs and priorities and a greater concern for civil rights and liberties ( Friedmann 1992 ).
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