It is recognized that every society needs effective systems of law and order to protect their citizens. When crimes take place, there needs to be a suitable response that seeks to hold the perpetrators of the crime accountable. Serious crimes will result in the arrest of the suspected offender and may lead to court proceedings that often result in criminal sanctions such as imprisonment or fines being imposed after a “guilty” verdict has been delivered. Today in 2022, there are estimated to be approximately one million people working in the field of law enforcement in America. It can be a common sight to see a highway patrol officer on the nation’s freeways. These officers will be involved in a range of tasks from responding to car accidents and giving tickets to drivers who have been found to exceed the speed limit. This article explains three common duties that may be carried out by police forces around the world.
Arrest suspected criminals
A key role of any police officer is to arrest any person who is believed to have committed a crime. The police officer will then “read the person their rights” before legally detaining them and often transporting them to a police station where they will be subject to further questioning. Some minor crimes will not lead to the perpetrator being arrested and may result in an official caution or on the spot fine being issued. It is also important to recognize that a police officer needs a reasonable suspicion that the person has committed a crime of sufficient severity before arresting them. Without this being, in place, the police officer can have potentially broken the law themselves. In such cases the citizen may be within their rights to contact a false arrest lawyer if they feel that they have been deprived of their liberties and freedom without due cause.
Community work
In modern policing, there is often an element of community work that takes place. The scope of this type of work can be broad and cover a range of community safety needs. One example is that police officers may be required to provide advice and information for communities who have suffered from repeated burglaries and are looking to set up a neighborhood-watch scheme. In these circumstances, community police offers can offer advice on home safety and may even conduct an assessment of a person’s home to look for areas that can be improved (such as the fitting of stronger locks or burglar alarm) to reduce the threat of being burgled.
Supporting other emergency services
Depending on the country in which the police are based, they may be routinely tasked with assisting other emergency services. Some police forces, such as those found in the United Kingdom may be dispatched alongside ambulance paramedics to assist patients who are suffering from potentially life-threatening conditions such as heart attacks. These police officers will have received specialist emergency first aid training in order to assist in the response to some medical emergencies. They may even carry some forms of emergency medical devices (such as defibrillators) to assist in this role.
