Sir Robert Peel’s 9 Principles of Policing – Principle #3

I am writing a series of articles where I discuss Sir Robert Peel’s 9 Principles of Policing.  I believe these principles are as important today for law enforcement leaders as the day Peel penned them.

In the first article, the focus was on preventing crime.  In the second article, the focus was on respect.  If you missed either article, click here to read my introduction to the topic and discussion of Principle #1 and click here to read about Principle #2.

Principle #3

Today, my focus is on Principle #3.

To recognise always that to secure and maintain the respect and approval of the public means also the securing of the willing co-operation of the public in the task of securing observance of laws. 

Many of Sir Robert Peel’s principles build upon each other.  That is certainly the case for Principle #3, which expands upon some of the previous discussions of respect and approval.  If law enforcement has the respect and approval of the public, that will generally lead to the willing co-operation of the public in voluntary observance of the law.

I have added the word voluntary because some versions of Sir Robert Peel’s 9 Principles of Policing use that verbiage in this context.  I think voluntary can be inferred from the use of willing co-operation.  

Byproduct

If the public respects the police, and we have their approval, they will naturally want to cooperate by obeying the laws. 

You might say the willing cooperation is a byproduct of respect.

If there is no respect and a lack of approval of law enforcement actions, it is difficult to have that willing cooperation.  Instead, you end up with reluctant cooperation based on the fear of the consequences of someone’s actions rather than their willing cooperation.

Eventually, reluctant cooperation can turn into full-fledged disobedience of the law.

Procedural Justice

Currently, the four tenants of Procedural Justice provides a further explanation and applicability of Principle #3.

Procedural Justice refers to how the police and other authorities interact with the public and how those interactions can shape the public perception of the police.[i] 

Although procedural justice can be defined in different ways, depending on who is speaking, there are generally four principles.  These principles include treating people fairly and with respect, being transparent in our actions, giving people a voice to speak and ask questions during encounters, and being impartial in all decisions. 

Follow these four tenants, and you will likely gain the willing cooperation of the public.

Procedurally just policing is an essential component to improving community perceptions of police legitimacy, which is the belief that authorities have the right to dictate proper behavior.

According to Tom R. Tyler, when communities view police authority as legitimate, they are more likely to cooperate with the police and obey the law.[ii]

How law enforcement treats the public, makes a HUGE difference in gaining their willing cooperation.

Procedural justice also applies inside law enforcement agencies as well.  Unfortunately, too many departments fail to understand this truth.

How law enforcement agencies and we as leaders treat our staff directly affects how our staff will treat the public.

If we treat our staff unfairly and without respect, don’t listen to what they have to say, hide what we are doing from them, and make decisions based on who the decision affects, should we be surprised when our staff treats the citizens they serve the same way? 

Hardly.

Chaos

If the public does not respect the police, does not approve of police actions, and are not willing to cooperate in the observance of laws, the rule of law is out the window and lawlessness is bound to happen.

If you ever wondered what it would be like if there were no police officers or if law enforcement did not have the “willing cooperation” of the public, look no further than Cordoba, Argentina.

On December 4, 2013, the Cordoba, Argentina Police Department went on strike.  Cordoba is the 2^nd largest city in Argentina and employs 600 police officers.  Only about 60 police officers showed up for work.

According to an article published in early 2014, criminals in masse took to the streets, terrorizing the community and stealing electronics and alcoholic beverages from local stores they broke into.[iii]  People in the community cowered in their homes, afraid to leave and afraid the looters would break-in. 

Unfortunately, some “law-abiding” citizens decided to take the law into their own hands and beat one of the looters to death. 

Fortunately, the Governor negotiated a return to work quickly and restored order.

Lessons for Today

Can there be any doubt today that we need the public’s willing cooperation and observance of the law? 

Certainly not.

Law enforcement is facing uncertain times.  Many communities are one bad incident away from chaos; one bad incident away from citizens refusing to cooperate with law enforcement and obey the law.

No better example exists than the aftermath of the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri by Officer Darren Wilson of the Ferguson Police Department. 

In spite of the facts of the actual shooting, members of the community and even outside parties came together to protest, to riot, and to otherwise abandon the rule of law.  Based on statements at the time and the investigation of the incident, it is evident the Ferguson Police Department had a poor relationship with their community.

The lawlessness was so bad a St. Louis County Police Officer said, “We’ve lost control of the area a little bit; we recommend just getting out of the area completely.”[iv]

The Michael Brown shooting was the spark that ignited the combustible relationship between the citizens and police in Ferguson and set the city on fire.  There was a break down in respect, no approval of police actions, no willing cooperation, and certainly no observance of laws.

The lack of approval of the police and lack of observance of the law in Ferguson spread across our country and divided many communities.

Sadly, these stark examples serve as a reminder that even though a particular incident might be a catalyze for chaos, the hundreds and thousands of law enforcement interactions with citizens preceding the one incident are cumulatively more important and critical to positive outcomes.

If law enforcement treats people with respect, gains their trust and approval, then we will have citizens willing cooperation and their willingness to follow the law.   

Conclusion

Every encounter between a police officer and a citizen is important.  That encounter will either be a positive or negative one. 

I’m not talking about whether we make an arrest.  Instead, I’m talking about how law enforcement treats the people we come into contact with daily.

How we treat people is the difference-maker!

If law enforcement treats people with respect, we will gain their approval.  If we gain their approval, we will likely benefit from their cooperation and their willingness to obey the law, which will make our jobs easier.

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[i] https://cops.usdoj.gov/prodceduraljustice

[ii] https://ric-zai-inc.com/Publications/cops-w0795-pub.pdf

[iii] https://thoughtcatalog.com/virginia-castiglione/2014/01/chaos-and-social-unrest-a-night-without-the-police-in-cordoba-argentina/

[iv]https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/11/25/366452769/ferguson-businesses-burn-crowds-confront-police-in-overnight-chaos