From the Persuasion of Theory to the Certainty of Law

Abstract

This paper analyses the legal bases of community policing under European Union (EU) law and the national laws of England, France, Germany, Italy, Romania and Portugal. Community policing arguably helps the police achieve efficient policing while respecting the requirements of the rule of law, a founding value of the EU, and can be a form of co-operation between the EU Member States under the EU legal framework for crime prevention. Moreover, the law in the selected jurisdictions supports four elements of the community policing model: (1) the public-police partnership in establishing policing strategies and priorities; (2) the public-police partnership for crime prevention and detection; (3) proactive and preventive policing; and (4) the police as providers of high quality services tailored to improve people’s quality of life. These elements are interrelated and interdependent: their holistic legal articulation is necessary for their effective existence.