Community Policing programs are highly effective in making significant and long-lasting change in both the effectiveness of a law enforcement agency, as well as in the way in which it performs its day-to-day duties. Community policing is not just a tactic or an operational strategy; it is a fundamental change in the philosophy of how police services are to be delivered. It requires that the law enforcement agencies work in partnership with the community, citizen groups, and NGOs, to identify and prioritize crime and quality of life issues. Once identified, the community at large and the police come together to reduce or eliminate the problems.
A Community Policing project is usually first conducted as a pilot project in a limited geographic area. The chosen area would typically have significant crime and quality of life issues, as well as a command structure within the local law enforcement agency that is supportive of implementing Community Policing. The project will use community engagement to bring together community members, NGOs, IGOs and other governmental agencies to address these issues. They will collectively share the responsibility for solving these problems. By working together in a transparent manner, a degree of mutual respect will form which will result in an improvement in police/community relations.