Abstract

MARTIN, Manuel  and  TORRENTE, Diego. Police Reform in Europe: Challenges, Debates, and Alternatives. Desafíos [online]. 2016, vol.28, n.2, pp.113-144. ISSN 0124-4035.  https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.Org/10.12804/desafios28.2.2016.03.

The police is an institution in permanent transformation. This is because of the need of adaptation to the social, economic and political changes in their environment. Police organizations interpret these changes and make strategic decisions affecting their structure and functioning. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between recent changes in the European police environment and the processes of organizational reform. The methodology is based on a review of scientific literature on the topic. Three key decisional axes around the reform of police organizations are identified and discussed. The first has to do with the overall strategic model as organization. The second refers to the appropriate degree of openness of police towards collaboration with partners from public, private and civil society sectors. The third one is transversal. It refers to the best way the police can ensure and maximize their legitimacy in an increasingly fragmented and unequal society. The three questions are inescapable when considering any reform or modernization of the police today. The article discusses the implications of all of them and explains the reasons why the so-called "proximity policing" offers a more satisfying answer to both social challenges and academic debates. The European experience may be of interest in the Latin American context.

Keywords : Police reform; organizational change; police models; partnership; legitimacy.

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