Police patrol

Contents• What is patrol?• Skills needed for the patrol officer• Knowledge, Experience, Education Required

for: "Police Patrol Officer“• Job Activities for: "Police Patrol Officer“• Case study on police patrol• Bibliography

What is patrol?• The act of moving about an area especially by an authorized and

trained person or group, for purposes of observation, inspection, or security.

• Police patrols also includes the following activities. • Accident Prevention Squad Police Officer• Alcohol Law Enforcement Agent• Border Guard• Campus Police Officer• Community Service Patrol Officer• Constable• Crime Prevention Police Officer• Motor cycle police etc.

Police officers attempt to prevent traffic accidents by making sure drivers follow traffic laws. They may drive through towns or along highways and observe motorists' behavior. They pull over motorists who are speeding or driving dangerously and give them citations or warnings. Officers document why they gave tickets and may write reports about their decisions. Occasionally officers testify in court. They present facts about crimes or accidents and explain their decisions.

When officers respond to fights, they attempt to calm people down. When robberies occur, officers take statements from the people who were robbed. They make lists of the missing items and try to determine who committed the crime. Officers respond to a variety of other problems. They first determine whether people are safe. Then they gather information and figure out if crimes were committed. They follow up on these cases or transfer them to other police officers. In large police departments, officers are usually assigned to a specific duty. For example, some respond to traffic accidents, while others handle robberies.

Skills needed for the patrol officer• 1) Judgment and Decision Making -- Considering the

relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

• 2) Active Listening -- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

• 3) Critical Thinking -- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems

• 4) Social Perceptiveness -- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do

• 5) Monitoring -- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

• 6) Active Learning -- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Knowledge, Experience, Education Required for: "Police Patrol Officer"

• 1) Law and Government -- Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process

• 2) Public Safety and Security -- Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

• 3) Psychology -- Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorder

• 4) Education and Training -- Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

• 5) Telecommunications -- Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

• 6) Transportation -- Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits

Job Activities for: "Police Patrol Officer"

• 1) Getting Information -- Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

• 2) Performing for or Working Directly with the Public -- Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.

• 3) Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment -- Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.

• 4) Making Decisions and Solving Problems -- Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

• 5) Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates -- Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

• 6) Communicating with Persons Outside Organization -- Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.

• 7) Documenting/Recording Information -- Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

• 8) Training and Teaching Others -- Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.

• Foot Patrol• Motorcycle Patrol• Motorized Patrol• Bike Patrol• Horse Patrol• Aircraft Patrol• Watercraft Patrol

• Routine Patrol• Directed Patrol• D-Runs• Saturation Patrol• Split Force• Suspect-

Oriented Patrol

Method of Patrol Techniques of Patrol

Traffic Enforcement

• Issue Traffic Citations• Issue Parking Citations• Investigate Traffic

Accidents• Arrest Drunk Drivers• Enforce Seatbelt Laws• Direct Traffic

• Insure Safety of Public• Reduce Accidents and

Injuries• Collect Information• Make Criminal Arrests• Enforce Laws• Facilitate Traffic Flow

Activities Purposes

Case study on police patrolTHE VISIBLE POLICING METHOD IN THE CITY HAS YIELDED THE DESIRED RESULTSWRITES V. S. PALANIAPPAN

Police now respond to emergency calls in less than five minutes, writes V.S.Palaniappan

The New Patrol System (NPS) implemented by the Coimbatore City Police has brought down the response time of the police to emergency and distress calls to around 3.6 minutes. Now the average time taken in 90 per cent of the calls is less than five minutes.Earlier and conventional patrol systems lacked focus and aim and the response time was close to 10 minutes and even more. City Police Commissioner Amaresh Pujari said while concerted efforts by the police force had ensured reduction in response time, efforts were on to address the deficiencies in distress calls being routed to the control room.The police had recently held several rounds of talks with the cellular phone operators since calls to the Coimbatore control room emanated from even as far as Tuticorin and Erode. Mr. Pujari said the calls were being streamlined now with the problem being sorted out in the switches of the operators. Only the finishing touches have to be given to the new system, he added.

Case study 2

Virtual police patrol China web

• Internet users will be reminded not to visit outlawed sites• Chinese authorities are to send two virtual police officers to patrol the

internet, in a bid to combat "illicit activities", state media has reported.• The animated figures, a man and a woman, will appear on users' screens

every 30 minutes "to remind them of internet security", China Daily said.• They will appear on news portals from Saturday and then on all Beijing

sites and forums by the end of the year.• The Chinese government censors all internet and media content.• It blocks content it deems politically or morally threatening, but some

users have found ways to circumvent government controls.

The virtual officers will appear either on foot, on motorbikes or riding in a car.• They would "be on watch for websites that incite secession, promote superstition,

gambling and fraud", the China Daily said, citing Beijing's Municipal Public Security Bureau.

• "It is our duty to wipe out information that does public harm and disrupts social order," the newspaper quoted the bureau's deputy chief of Internet surveillance, Zhao Hongzhi, as saying.

• He said the virtual police officers would protect "netizens" from harm.• Users will be able to click on the icons to connect to the bureau's Internet

Surveillance Centre, where they can report illegal activities, Mr Zhao said.• China has experienced an internet boom in recent years. It is thought there are

more than 120 million web surfers, a figure second only to the US.• The Chinese government has tens of thousands of real security officers monitoring

the web and it regularly jails activists who have posted online messages criticising the government

Case study 3• Police patrol intercepts robbery suspects

Oyo State Police Command has intercepted a five-man inter-state robbery gang at Iwo-Road Interchange, Ibadan.

• The suspects were said to have been intercepted by a police patrol team led by Inspector Julius Oyedare on July 25. The suspects were on their way to Ilorin, Kwara State.

• Four of the robbery suspects, however, escaped, while the fifth person, Dare Hassan, was arrested.

• The hoodlums were accosted in a Honda Civic car marked LAGOS FL 183 LND with weapons.

• Items  recovered from the hoodlums were three locally-made pistols, eight live cartridges,  two expended cartridges, charms and the Honda Civic car.

• Hassan told the police that they were on their way to Ilorin for their next operation.

• The case had been transferred to the State Anti-Robbery Squad, Dugbe, Ibadan for further investigation.

• The state Police Public Relation Officer, Olabisi Ilobanefor, said, “The decision of the commissioner of police to patrol the state more is paying off. The command has resolved not to relent in its efforts at curbing criminal activities in and around the state.”

Police Officers on Patrolby Kersten Hamilton, R.W. Alley

bibliography

• Urban Police Patrol Analysis by Richard C. Larson (Author)

• Police Patrol: Operations and Management (3rd Edition) Charles D. Hale (Author)

• http://www.myplan.com/careers/police-patrol-officers/description-33-3051.01.html