The desire for direct action is often blunted because police are expected to perform many civic duties that in earlier times were the responsibility of every citizen. Today s police officer has become a social handyman called to fix up those problems that the average citizen finds distasteful. At the same time, the public resents the power the police have to use force, to arrest people, and to deny people their vices. The Move toward Community Oriented Policing Because of a number of inherent role conflicts, the relationship between the police and the public has been the subject of a great deal of concern. Conflict may mean that citizens are less likely to go to the police for help or report crimes.
Victim surveys indicate that many citizens have little faith in the police to solve crimes.
The perceived ambivalence and role conflict have encouraged more communities to adapt new models of policing. Community Oriented Policing and Problem Oriented Policing are both new trends in the way police departments function. Criminal justice scholars stress the importance of the new role of police. Three themes help define the concept of community policing. To begin with, police officers should be accountable to the community as well as to the police organization.