Policing difficulties in the UK versus the Middle East

Policing

Comparison of Policing Tactics and Difficulties Faced by Police Within the U.K. And Middle East

Difficulties of Policing in the UK vs. The Middle East

This paper explores how the difficulties of policing in the UK differ from the difficulties of policing in the Middle East. The paper begins with an overview of policing, followed by an analysis of policing in the UK and the Middle East, and synopsis of the material gathered.

Policing Defined

Governments define policing in multiple ways. Depending on the structure of a government, whether democratic in nature, authoritarian or socialist, policing takes on many different forms. One may define policing in places like the U.K. As any and all actions whose purpose includes maintaining a peaceful enterprise within the land (MPS, 2007). In other regions of the world however, including in the Middle East, historically policing involves many acts of violence and radical activities engaged in to support variant rather than homogenous interpretations of what policing is and isn't. The U.K. policing system and the Middle Eastern policing system are very different, with the former being very organized and the latter being disorganized and comprised of multiple "leaders" or agencies attempting to take authority over what can and should not be done, censored or explored. Thus, the difficulties faced by Middle Eastern agencies, even those that promote a more democratic outlook, are much more trying than those faced by the U.K. policing agencies, in part because the U.K. policing centers face a more organized approach to maintaining the peace. These ideas are explored in greater depth below.

Policing in the UK

To understand how policing might differ in one region to another one must first understand what constitutes policing in each region. According to the Metropolitan Police Society in the UK, policing involves any and all arrangements made to ensure civilians living within the country obey laws and regulations and remain peaceful (MPS, 2007, p.1). Policing may incorporate the use of force to ensure "peace" within society is maintained. British policing originated in early history and is based on certain customs that would allow representatives to maintain order by appointed representatives (MPS, 2007, p.1). During the early 1800s one of the U.K.s earliest innovators of policing suggested that efficient police have a duty to prevent crime, and detect crime, as well as punish those committing a crime in the interests of securing "public tranquility" (MPS, 2007, p.1).

Early policing began in the U.K. By dividing people into what the British referred to as "tythings" or groups of ten people where one person acted as a representative of each responsible for maintaining the peace in the land (MPS, 2007, p.1). A new policing policy was established some time later when conditions within the U.K. became such that simple watching systems did not maintain orderly conduct. The Metropolitan Police Act was formed to create a police force to supervise various districts, eventually creating the City of London Police (MPS, 2007, p.1). In the mid 1990s Sir Paul Condon created "operation bumblebee" to help reduce burglaries experienced within the capital of the UK (MPS, 2007, p.2). Formal objectives were not established by the MPS until roughly 1995, and are maintained today. The UK police use a crime report information system to help record crimes in logically ordered databases (MPS, 2007, p.2). An automated national fingerprint system is also in place to help identify criminals and record criminal activity.

Many consider the UK police a professional service; the policing activities engaged in by UK officials serve to protect communities from violent crime and instill a sense of fairness in policing, such that no one person is singled out because of race, gender or other means. Still, the U.K. like many other countries face many difficult decisions when criminal activity becomes violent, as has been the case since the advent of the "war on terror" initiated within the U.S. (Institute of Race, n.d.). Many feel this change has caused officials in countries including the U.K. To tighten their interpretation of policing, enacting "counter-terrorist measures" (Institute of Race, n.d.). Many consider Muslims a threat to peace, and Islam a threat to Europe because of these actions.

There are many policing agencies within the U.K. presently, including: (1) British transport police, whose role includes protection of transportation; (2) Central Motorway Policing Group, whose role includes regionalized policing capabilities along motorways within the U.K. And (3) the National Crime Squad, whose role includes protecting national citizens from international threats (Police UK, n.d.).

The U.K. policing plan as defined by varying groups including the Central Motorway Police Group is very organized in nature, inclusive of aims and objectives such as denial of criminal activity, reduction of fatalities or causalities, reduction and targeting of anti-social activities, addressing consumer's fears on terrorism and improving and instilling greater confidence among the people living within the U.K., in accordance with a National Intelligence Model (Police U.K., n.d.).

Comparison and Analysis of Difficulties Within Each Region

Clearly within the U.K. The problems police address are much different than those various authorities must address within the Middle East. U.K. policing agencies experience a much more unified system of enforcement, where standardized rules and regulations are set in place to ensure proper order is maintained. Because there are several different regions and policing agencies within the U.K., the primary difficulty the U.K. experiences is collaboration between departments to ensure uniform guidelines and objectives are set with regard to policing. Overall, the U.K. faces traditional problems including addressing acts of terror, burglary and violent crime. Because so many agencies exist within the U.K. It may be difficult at times to discern who has authority over a certain region or activity, as may be the case with the Motorway Police for example vs. The National policing agencies.

These difficulties seem relatively minor when compared to the difficulties experienced by policing agencies within the Middle East. At this time there is no uniform consensus about what agencies have authority in the Middle East. The Dubai police are working with agencies including the Department of Homeland Security to establish a more democratic policing system. Despite their best efforts however, there still exist many groups within the Middle East that adopt radical approaches to policing. Not every agency agrees on uniform democracy, and some still prefer an authoritarian approach to policing (Exum, 2006, p. 1). This can and often does lead to greater violence within the region, with in many cases people living within the regions of the Middle East still lacking freedom of expression and living in fear of violent punishment for any crimes committed.

As Exum (2006) noted in his overview of policing in the Middle East, a bus driver was at one point withdrawn from his vehicle and beaten as well as sodomized as a form of punishment. Clearly most organizations including the UN would consider such actions brutalization and acts of terror rather than "policing." Unfortunately many agencies within the Middle East have not yet adopted standard definitions of what constitutes appropriate policing. The most challenging obstacle facing Middle East policing agencies is determining how to reduce the often radical reactions of groups that would prefer to react in radical and authoritarian ways. Clearly in this environment one may conclude it much more difficult to maintain the "peace" as than it might be within the U.K.