Crimes Against the Elderly Assignment, Essay Example

The crime against the elderly have grown by in numbers from a being less than the per capita income of two people in the 1990s to the high rates that are being report currently ( Morgan 2006). These crimes are driven by besides other things, the increased poverty and need for basic resources. According to Morgan the disintegration of the social fabric has also increased the spate of crimes. This is because in the earlier years the extended family was in strong existence and the care for the elderly was a responsibility of the family hence the elderly never wanted for anything. The society needs today needs to take action to control the rise in this crime and ensure that the occurrence is countered effectively to avoid it spiralling out of control. To do this the society needs to harness the appropriate manpower and resources to undertake the policing. Community policing promotes by its philosophy organizational strategies, to aid in the systematic use of partnerships as well as techniques of problem-solving to respond proactively and increase public safety (U S Justice Department)

Personnel Needed

The crime-bursting unit should be made up of three tiered personnel. First there should be the recruitment of willing and able community policing informers and neighbourhood accomplices. These are the ones who will be in the communities keeping tabs on how the elderly are being treated and handled in the communities. The second group should be composed of the enforcers once the community informers raise the red alert, these enforcers will move in to make the arrests with an aim of prosecuting the accused people and eventually ensuring they face the consequences of their actions.  The third tier is made up of the investigators, these will be charged with the responsibility of investigating any such crimes and bringing to light the offences committed and eventually having them prosecuted for their actions. Finally they need communication personnel since marketing the policy through the media is a powerful way to reach the people and engage them in community policing.

Equipment Needed

The first and most important is proper communication equipment. This is vital in that the informers within the community will need to inform the enforcers of any occurrence of abuse. This means that they will easily get in touch with the enforcers in good time for them to move in and nab the criminal if possible in the act.  The equipment can be supplied in the form of cell phones or radio calls that will enable them reach each other easily. The use of computers in electronic communication helps to create a diagonal communication channel and hence circumventing the protocol problem in police communication (Palmiotto 2006). The other equipment that they will need is good transportation. This can be in the form of motor vehicles and motorcycles that will enable them move easily and fast enough within the community and get to respond fast enough whenever alarm is raised by the informers. Finally they require well network audio equipment to keep voice records and a good offsite database to store information on suspects and criminals to enable them investigate any recurrent crimes with ease. This will save them the agony of having to do repetitive work as well as give them a good reference for future investigations.

References

Morgan Art , Crimes against the elderly. (2006). Last retrieved on 19 July 2009 from http://crime.suite101.com/article.cfm/crimes_against_the_elderly.

Palmiotto M. (2006). Community Policing. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Boston US justice department. Community policing defined. Last retrieved on 19 July 2009 from http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/default.asp?item=36.