Functions of Uniformed Police Officers Research Paper

Functions of Uniformed Police Officers - Research Paper Example Other authorities are to maintain peace and security in their respective areas. A uniformed police officer performs many functions, such as, traffic control, crime prevention, and implementation of law. In this paper, we will describe crime prevention, which is one of the most important functions of a uniformed police officer. Crime Prevention Lab (2010) states, â€Å"Many crime prevention programs rely heavily on police activity† (p. 85). Crime prevention is an attempt to either prevent the crimes or reduce the level of criminal acts. Reducing the risk of being a victim is the basic objective of crime prevention. Gilling (1997) states, â€Å"Crime prevention incorporates not only the practices of the entire criminal justice system, but also those of many other social and public policies† (p. 2). A uniformed police officer reduces the crime rate and disorderly situations implementing effective crime prevention strategies. Crime prevention is a function, which involves d eploying protective people, prevention policies, and strategies (Hayes, 1997). These strategies are implemented in various judicial and extra judicial settings. It is one of the prime responsibilities of a uniform police officer to take proper measures to reduce the level of crimes in the country because crimes and violence not only make the lives of people insecure but also proves to be a risk for economy of a country. Implementation of crime prevention strategies plays a great role in the successful prevention and reduction of crime levels in a country. Sherman (2002) states, â€Å"Comprehensive crime prevention strategies frequently involve the mobilization of community members to participate actively in planning and implementing prevention activities† (p. 168). These strategies not only help the government in reducing the level of crimes but also help in generating the sense of security in the public living in any specific society. Crime prevention is a skill-based activi ty (Arrington, 2007, p. 27). The ultimate goal of crime prevention is to provide people with trustworthy security by eradicating crimes from the society. In order to achieve the goal of crime prevention, uniform police officers put an end to those specific factors or opportunities, which enable a criminal to get involved in any specific criminal activity. The main goal of crime prevention is not only to secure the lives and properties of the public but also to eliminate those reasons, which act as the root cause for the unlawful activities. It is one of the main goals of uniformed police officers to reduce or remove the opportunities for criminals from the country, and this goal can be achieved by increasing the desire among the public to act as the contributor to the improvement of society. Uniformed police officers create fear of punishment in the minds of criminals in order to prevent them from getting involved in any sort of criminal activity. Fear of punishment cannot be inject ed in the minds of criminals rather it is created by taking such steps, which should practically detain the criminals in order to create a risky environment for criminals. Crime rate in small part of a country puts a negative and fearful impact on whole country. People avoid going to those areas where there is no protection of life and property because security is always the first priority for every individual. It is the major responsibility of the uniformed police officers to apply such crime prevention