Democratic Policing

POLICING DEMOCRACY

By Author

Democracy is a government of the people , by the people and for the people . As such , it is the people 's will encoded in the rule of law that shall be the utmost consideration in running a democratic country . The rule of law must be upheld to maintain the ideals of a democracy relying upon the police to enforce it

The police force is the most evident manifestation of government authority charged with the task of maintaining public and security . The democratic police shall be committed in

pursuing excellence in law enforcement and upholding professional standards . It shall be the duty of the police force to enhance the quality of life by operating cooperatively with the community and in accordance with the country 's democratic values as embodied in the Constitution

Fundamentally , the police force is tasked to uphold human rights through the observance of due process , freedom of speech and assembly , right to organize and petition the government for redress of grievances (Hinton and Newburn , 2008 . The police essentially provide assistance and service to the public with the vision of creating a safer community

Mainly , the police force must be accountable to law rather than to government . While pursuing their objectives , the police must operate in accordance with domestic and international law and respect human rights at all times . States have to ensure that domestic legislation does not contradict international laws and human rights standards

In the Guidebook in Democratic Policing published by the...