Citation

Dijk A, Crofts N. Policing Soc. 2017; 27(3): 261-275.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/10439463.2016.1219735

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Law enforcement (especially policing) and public health share much common ground; insecurity and lack of safety, traditionally provinces of law enforcement, are iniquitous to health and to attempts to improve public health. Considering the maturity of both fields and the growing complexities of their challenges, it is urgent to more consciously 'join forces'. Public health has a strong culture of seeing the individual within their community, as active participants using social capital to build healthy communities. This is matched by the rise of 'community policing', with many of the same influences and approaches. More recently, vulnerability and holistic models of community safety and well-being are central to strategy in both law enforcement and public health. Public health is broad, with a huge variety of stakeholders: lists of disciplines engaged in the public health mission are long - but law enforcement officials appear rarely if ever. There is a lack of reciprocal awareness in each sector of the importance of the other in achieving its mission; we wish to raise awareness among both sectors of the importance of the collaboration in addressing the widest range of complex social issues. We argue for closer and better relationships based on mutual understanding of the inextricable entanglement of health and criminal justice perspectives in many complex social issues, and mutual respect for each other's role in addressing them. We have begun exploration of this intersectional area through establishment of an international conference series and a global network of research institutions working in the field.

Language: en

Keywords

public health; Law enforcement and public health