The rising crime rate has led to the emergence of debate on community members’ role and the Government’s role in combating crime. The development of self-defense skills and mobilization of general public members to fight crime can ensure a holistic approach. For instance, through community members’ involvement in crime prevention, strategies, such as community policing and intelligence collection, can become more effective (Mothibi & Phago, 2018). In the long-term, the incorporation of victimization prevention strategies is ineffective. This essay will examine how the Government has a significant social and legal role compared to individual citizens in crime-fighting because of its legitimate power.
The Government acts as the ultimate source of authority in a state, with the people participating in its formation through various means, such as an election. According to Mothibi and Phago (2018), the Government’s ability to wield legitimate authority means implementing crime prevention approaches effectively and achieving maximum impact. For instance, the Government can implement crime prevention measures, such as police reforms, with far-reaching impact on society compared to individuals’ efforts using their self-prevention skills (Hardyns & Rummens, 2018). The measures taken by the state are more likely to be stringent and supported by various institutions, such as law enforcement agencies.
Individual community members can play a vital role in supporting the state’s action to address a high crime rate, such as community policing (Hardyns & Rummens, 2018). However, when the crime rate is high, the self-prevention skills can evolve into organized militia gangs, which undermine the rule of law. The stringent enforcement of the law in various countries, such as Japan, New Zealand, and Norway, is attributed to effective law enforcement (Hardyns & Rummens, 2018). Thus, the Government has a significant social and legal responsibility in crime prevention since it can deploy measures, such as surveillance, with far-reaching effectiveness compared to individual effort.
References
Hardyns, W., & Rummens, A. (2018). Predictive policing as a new tool for law enforcement? Recent developments and challenges. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, 24(3), 201-218.
Mothibi, K. A., & Phago, K. (2018). Efficacy of government strategies in the prevention and control of organized crime in Limpopo Province. Acta Criminologica: African Journal of Criminology & Victimology, 31(2), 47-65.