New paradigms of local law enforcement policy and community policing as a Strategy for the prevention of urban crime

Abstract

In the past several years society has been facing a gradual increase in violence, resulting from an increase in crime rates. In this complex and challenging time of threats to public security, the interventionist role of the state is fundamental, insofar as it is willing to create and manage mechanisms to combat and prevent criminality effectively, while protecting citizen rights. Among new local models, community policing is a strategic alternative which establishes mechanisms of surveillance and control by creating a level of identification with local society itself, giving both members of society and the police their respective roles in formal and informal control. These complementary forms of control enhance the prevention of urban crime.