description of police discretion

The beginning to the report provides a brief summary of police discretion. The introduction provides a concise overview of the use of police discretion and its significance in the police force. The study proceeds by explaining several sorts of police discretion situations and providing examples. The benefits and drawbacks of police discretion are outlined in length, with instances in each. Following is an explanation of how police discretion can be used to manage and prevent crime, as well as the elements that influence and control officer discretion. Internal, external, citizen, legal, and court control methods are all thoroughly explained. The article concludes with a conclusion that summarizes the main themes of the report.

 Police discretion is a purpose-driven decision-making authority bestowed on law enforcers. It allows the officers to devise decisions regarding whether to follow the defined police procedures or tone down depending on the current situation. The police decisions have both advantages and disadvantages. The benefits include order maintenance in the streets and peace enhancement within the community. The disadvantages are that police may use their judgment to decide, which may spur erroneous decisions, apprehension of individuals without identifying crime committed by the officers and misuse of power in unfair judgment and apprehension of criminals. Police discretion is affected by various factors including:

Internal Control Structures: Factors within the workplace department regulating and controlling police discretion.

External Control Mechanisms: Police family members and friends who affect the decisions the officers make in law enforcement.

Control by the Citizens: Factors emanating from the citizen’s appeal depending on the situation the police force is involved in.

Legislative Control: Legal procedures and regulations established to monitor and maintain the law enforcers when using their power.

Control by the Courts: Penalties that the courts may impose on the law enforcers if they misuse the police discretion.

The said factors control and monitor police discretion. The police are expected to be exceptional in their work.