Professional Intervention

The truly professional police officer is therefore a "community services professional".

An Information Officer. The police officer is very knowledgeable about the different acts and regulations and is familiar with the area where he operates: he knows the streets, buildings, businesses, industries, government agencies and utility offices, he knows the various institutes and their names and directors, the residents who live in the area, the community and professional services that are available, etc.

Police duties also include answering the public's general inquiries politely and courteously. Should a police officer not be able to provide the information himself, he calls his station, his colleagues or other citizens and agencies, in order to obtain an answer. Thanks to the police radio, some of these tasks are now made easier. In this way, the police officer often learns at the same time as the citizen and, in the long run, the knowledge gained will help him achieve a better understanding of his area.

A Detective. Through meticulous research or an aggressive patrol (and not an aggressive attitude), the police officer locates the offender, the delinquent or the criminal. He also spots potential accident and fire hazards and other problem areas. Once a problem has been detected, he may intervene himself or contact the proper authorities, if the matter does not fall within his jurisdiction.

It is the police officer who finds the person requiring support or special care... It is he who uncovers people and situations likely to harm someone.

A Preventionist. Besides being skilled in detection, the police officer implements methods, establishes contacts and intervenes personally to prevent certain situations from recurring, to stop negative practices that already exist or are about to start.

The police officer contacts individuals and agencies in order to prevent any situations which may harm citizens or society. The groundwork for such prevention is first of all laid by making friendly contacts with children at school, in the street or even at home. Depending on the region and the seasons, etc., the police officer takes advantage of any opportunities which occur during a particular contact or in conjunction with various campaigns concerning fire and accident prevention, robbery target-hardening, traffic and water safety, as well as community relations in general. He uses each opportunity to talk about the benefits of prevention with the child, adolescent, adult, senior citizen.

An Educator and a Specialist in Behaviour Modification. The basic training and the thorough personal development courses that the modern police officer increasingly receives have enabled him to become an educator and a specialist in behaviour modification. His diversified knowledge in several fields, and more especially his constantly broadening understanding of human relations and applied psychology, are transforming him into an expert in human and social behaviour.

The police officer's training now enables him to recognize the behaviour patterns of an individual, to anticipate his reactions, and to emphasize with the emotional state of the citizen, whoever he or she may be.

Now the police officer can apply his knowledge of interview-techniques, communications, transactional analysis, as well as verbal and body language to educate others and even to modify behaviour through positive conditioning.

A Protector. Because the police officer must conduct surveillance operations and inspections, be vigilant and intervene whenever necessary, the public is often left with a negative or repressive image of the police. Police activities that cost the citizen money (tickets, fines...) and measures such as interceptions, arrests, friskings, handcuffings, breathalyzer tests, vehicle towing, investigations, searches, and complete vehicle searches, etc., are not designed to please those involved.

Unfortunately, it still holds true today that the police are wanted only when the citizen makes the call himself, and even then the police officer's presence is not always welcome. Be that as it may, the police will always have to intervene in this fashion, as well as continue performing other tasks that are viewed more favourably.

There do not appear to be too many problems associated with the other tasks that society views in a more positive light. The fact still remains, however, that the police officer must wait until his services are requested. When performing a task which is not highly regarded, perhaps the police officer should ask himself the following questions: "Am I stepping in to punish someone, is the act apparently repressive? Do I appear to be smug or dictatorial; is my attitude dominating or oppressive; do I say things that are hurtful, damaging, ironic, sarcastic, etc.?"

By asking himself these questions, the police officer can realize how necessary it is to perform thankless tasks, regardless of the guilt of the individual. It is essential that the police officer intervene in order to serve the individual and society, no matter what.

An individual is asked to take a breathalyzer test, not because a police officer wants to make him pay a fine, lose his licence, etc., but to ensure, in a scientific manner, that his blood alcohol level does not make him a risk to either himself or other citizens. At the same time, if the police officer has the offender's vehicle towed away, the intention is not to make the punishment more severe than it already is, but to prevent a possibly fatal accident, because it was felt that the driver was no longer capable of controlling his vehicle or ensuring his own safety.

The police officer must view himself as a protector of the individual citizen and his goods, and not as a slave to a quota system of fines, a practise which is likely to promote unhealthy competition in the department and please only those who advocate the wrong objectives.

This does not mean that police activities should not be monitored. On the contrary, they must be monitored and particular attention must be paid to controlling quality on the basis of the assistance and the service provided. When police intervention is positive, the public looks upon the police favourably.

If each police intervention is motivated by the desire to serve and assist, the police officer will find it easier to say the right thing, take the right attitude and make the most appropriate and logical decision in view of the circumstances. His judgement is more likely to be sound, his approach the right one and his actions effective and fair.

A Provider of Security and a Source of Reference. The police officer's first priority is still "the person". Victims, plaintiffs, individuals in need... these people must be looked after first and foremost, and made to feel more secure. They must be informed about how to look after their physical and emotional security. Society on the whole will be more reassured and healthier as a result.

The rest (damage, particular techniques used, reports, legal proceedings, etc.) will follow the first personal contact where the police officer tried, to the best of his ability, to meet the needs of the individual. The first contact is often of the most importance (for example, in rape cases).

The police officer often finds himself in a situation which exceeds or does not fall within his jurisdiction, but he is not at a complete loss. He has the option of referring the person to the appropriate agency, institution, community or professional service.

The police officer is often the first link in the chain of assistance since he is usually the first to arrive at the scene of the incident. To prevent such incidents from recurring he will often refer the case (whenever necessary) to the services likely to provide the required help (family therapy, youth protection services, detoxification centres, crisis centres designed to assist physically or sexually assaulted persons, suicide prevention agencies, senior citizens' centres or homes, etc.).

A Member of the Multidisciplinary Team. The police officer is a professional in his own right within the multidisciplinary team. He should have no qualms about contributing to this team composed of the doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist, nurse, social worker, criminologist, lawyer, probation officer, sports and recreation monitor, parent, adolescent and, finally, any professional or person likely to contribute to prevention or problem-solving.

For it is the police officer who knows the area and the people. He knows where it is safe to go and where the criminals hang up. He knows the schedules and the activities of the various individuals, the descriptions of their vehicles or their means of transportation; the influence that some individuals have on others and he knows their past, present, and future prospects.

The police officer is therefore able to extrapolate, foresee and prevent, and therefore his contributions, ideas and suggestions are indispensable to the multidisciplinary team whose common objective could be social reform, prevention of delinquency, rehabilitation, or simply the normal development of citizens...