Conceptual foundations and practical aspects of community police officer’s participation in combating crime

The activity of a community police officer takes place in conditions of almost inextricable physical presence on community’s territory and constant contacts with local residents. This gives the officers significant opportunities for prompt detection and prevention of criminal offences. However, due to the lack of powers, these opportunities cannot always be fulfilled. The purpose of this study was to establish the feasibility of empowering a community police officer with the powers of proactive detection of criminal offences, and to determine the list and content of these powers. To fulfil this purpose, the study employed general scientific (inductive, deductive, analysis, synthesis, analogy, generalisation, modelling) and special (comparative legal, systemic-structural, and logical-legal analysis) methods. The study examined the legal grounds for detection, investigation, and solving of criminal torts, prevention of their commission by law enforcement officers, and application of administrative and criminal liability measures to them. The findings obtained were verified using the method of expert assessments. By summarising the practices of other countries, the study formulated the concept (ideology) of the institution of community police officer by defining the purpose of their functioning; tasks; subjects and principles. Successful implementation of this concept requires not only granting the necessary powers to a community police officer, but also high-quality personnel and logistical support for such entities. Conceptually, it is vital to empower them to secretly engage local residents in confidential cooperation in combating criminal offences (detection, suppression, disclosure, investigation, prevention), as well as to conduct observation, interviews, and home visits in certain cases. The practical value of this study lies in the possibility of using its findings to improve the regulations governing the work of the police in combating crime in terms of regulating the powers of a community police officer