Community Engagement covers a wide variety of actions. For the Policing Board, Community Engagement is about developing an ongoing relationship that involves direct interaction with local people.
In developing this area of work the Policing Board has a special responsibility to encourage people to co-operate with the police in order to prevent crime.
The Policing Board has adopted a three tier model of Community Engagement based on:
- Sharing of Information
- Consultation, and
- Active Participation
Sharing Information
Information giving is a one-way relationship in which the Policing Board provides information to the community. It does this through the work of its Press and Public Relations Branch, issuing Publications and general awareness raising activities.
Consultation
The Policing Board consults the public through a variety of surveys and research projects. These can be viewed in the Publications section under Omnibus Surveys and other Surveys and Research
Active Participation
Members of the public and the Policing Board work together and the focus is on the community rather than on the individual. The work that the Policing Board is doing to establish reference groups in relation to Young People, Minority Ethnic Groups, Older People and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) are examples of the groups that the Policing Board is working with.
The Policing Board's Community Engagement Strategy is used in the development of this area of work.