Robert Peel's 12 Principles Of Policing

Robert Peel was the British Home Secretary who played a major role in getting the English Parliament to pass into law an act creating a central police force in London in 1829 (Bohm & Haley, 2017). In creating the police force, Peel also proposed ‘12 Principles of Policing’ (Bohm & Haley, 2017) that are still important to police agencies in current times. Listed below are each of the principles, a brief description, and why they are still applicable.

The police must be stable, efficient, and organized along military lines- this implies that a police force should be organized with a command structure similar to that of the military. This ensures that the police force operates efficiently and executes their duties in a manner dictated by their

This is still important today because it makes sure that police agencies have to act within a set of boundaries as defined by governmental control. An example of this would be how police have to act within and not violate a person’s rights as defined in the ‘Bill of Rights’ which was created by the U.S. Government.

The absence of crime will best prove the efficiency of police- ‘the main function of police was to prevent crime, not by force but by preventative patrol’ (Bohm & Haley, 2017, p 140). So if preventative patrol coincides with a decrease or ‘absence’ of crime, then the goal has been achieved. This principle comes into play in today’s world through things like ‘Community Policing’ and increased visibility of police in areas susceptible to crime.

The distribution of crime news is essential- ensuring citizens are aware of the types of crimes being committed can make sure they take steps to possibly prevent those crimes, or get information to police that might be relevant to solving open cases. Citizens might not be aware that the information they have is relevant if they are not aware what types of crimes are being committed in an area. This is still effective and continues to be increasingly effective in today’s world as police and citizens can communicate more openly and efficiently through current technology like Facebook, Twitter,

If they do not appear professional then they will have a more difficult time obtaining the respect of the public. This is important as the appearance of police within the community causes them to form an opinion of that officer and that agency. If they frequently appear unkempt in soiled, wrinkled uniforms, or dirty patrol cars, etc it can lead to a poor opinion of that agency in the eye of the public. When an officer arrives on the scene of a call for assistance or while completing an enforcement action the party/parties involved will see the officer and their appearance before the actual verbal interaction begins and could lead to an immediate initial loss of respect which could cause the situation to become more difficult for the officer to