Gyula Gaál[1] - Katalin Molnár[2]: About the safe community (JURA, 2017/1., 58-62. o.)

"Think globally, act locally!"

(Proverb)

In July 2012, a pretty young woman, psychologist of the police disappeared in a stuffy weekend night on the way home when she was walking alone from a pub to her apartment near downtown of Pécs. Considerable manpower was deployed by Police to search for her. The civilian community (parents, friends, acquaintances and sympathizers) were not laze either: unprecedented cooperation was organized on Facebook, to which in a few days eight thousand people joined.

Her dead body was found by children playing three days later in a bushy territory not far away from her apartment. According to the outcomes of the crime scene investigation, murder has been occurred. Special attention has been paid by the media and intensified social expectations has been met the investigation. In the next day of the finding police identified the suspected perpetrator by DNA remnant and apprehended him 3 days later, in 1 week from her disappearance.

After efficient investigation and watchfully, thoroughly organized apprehension, police proceedings have been continuously surrounded mistrust, unbelief, causing hysteria by the citizens questioning the professionalism and credibility of the investigation, destroying the prestige of police.

The first and most important issue to be examined and decided: whether it is really a problem? Problem is considered a situation in which there is not any ready-made solution, it should always be made by the people who is in the situation, moreover jointly. The problem is never a riddle, which has a predefined solution, and only one solution can be imagined. The problem is always a specific situation that emerging by a combination of concrete circumstances, by result of the specific reasons, which hasn't, and specifically hasn't a single solution. The solution always can be found after a responsible decision-making, after accurate detection of the (problem) situation, identification of reasons, reviewing the options and after consideration of the consequences.

In this case, the question can be - unfortunately - easily answered: yes, here we are talking about the problem. Moreover, the problem is not just one situation, but months-long process, which has been poisoned everyday life of a big city, the lives of the inhabitants.

1. What can go wrong, will go wrong?

In Baranya County and in Pécs in the observed time period both the number of crimes revealed and committed in public places has been relevantly decreased, and also investigation success indicators have been developed positively - however subjective sense of security of the citizens of Pécs has been deteriorated. The subjective sense of security has also been affected by many other factors, those incidents belonged to here, happened ad hoc, but took huge public interest due to their character, which have had a significant impact on sense of security of the inhabitants and raised media attention too.

The police had noticed the residential needs, and accordingly, endeavoured to bring the service activity closer to the citizens. In Pécs, beyond the constant patrol of four pairs of patrols and three pairs of mobile patrols in the same time, traffic patrols and accident scene investigators carried out their duties. The criminal investigations' staff completed crime prevention and criminal intelligence service at the public places as well. Thirty-six local district police officers carried out their service and moreover four bike police patrols started their duties. Car patrols carried out certain part of their shift on foot. Maintenance of permanent police presence in public places were considered a priority task by Police Office of Pécs, doing everything in order to reduce the number of offences, in order local residents and tourists visiting the city feeling safe.

Besides crime investigation, prevention also had an important role. The crime prevention programs of county and local police addressed to all target groups (children and juveniles, adults, and the elderly) in order to avoid becoming victims of crimes. More than fifty elaborated and implemented programs worked, which helped crime prevention focusing to the seasonal threats respectively to age- and target groups.

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As a new initiative, police organized District Public Security Coordination Forums, in the district seats with participation of the mayors, local minority leaders, leaders of the neighbourhood watch organisations, school district directors, leaders of church and foundation schools and district office managers in interactive way. Among others, they also discussed possible ways to improve the sense of security of local inhabitants and to strengthen crime prevention.

The solutions have been in fact far overgrown the professional competence of the police and demanded common social cohesion.

2. Police Café Pécs

At first in the summer of 2012 at the conference of police science titled "Actual challenges of the changing law enforcement" we thought out loud it would be worthwhile to try an innovative community consultation method, and we also wrote our ideas.[1] Here we wrote at first about the worldwide known and used, simple and - last but not least - cheap procedure called World Café. On the website of The World Café Community[2] it can be read what it is all about. Creators and developers of the freely used method ask only that if someone uses the procedure under its name, shall refer to them, and send a brief description about that exactly when, who, where and for what had been used.

The model came out on 12[th] of May 2014, and between 2[nd] and 6[th] of June called the Police Café Pécs.[3] Budget of the implementation of the programme were covered by Baranya County Police Headquarters from one part of the 3.5 million Hungarian Forints funding awarded on a tender announced by the National Crime Prevention Council in 2014. Title of the project: "For the safer Pécs", and one of the pillars of it was the preparatory training of the community policemen and the implementation of the series of events Police Café Pécs.

Direct aim of the Café was to create interactive, creative police-civilian dialogue between police officers and representatives of state- and nongovernmental organisations responsible for the security with the intention of mapping the public security situation linked to the respective fields, and the most urgent problems, more accurate and more detailed, from more points of view.

3. The 3 C's - Communication, coordination, cooperation

Every human action is based on three pillars: the permanent, adequate and credible partner communication, regular and professional coordination and constructive cooperation between the participants. The list has to be started with the communication, because if it is "all right", the rest will expectedly work well too.[4]

4. Communication

It was crucial for users to be aware exactly of the principles of adequate and credible community dialogue. According to the methodology of the World Café, Police has invited professionals who are somehow responsible for the public security of the four districts of the city (16-16 persons) for an unconventional and innovative conversation. Occasionally a total of 3-4 hours of togetherness operated in accordance with the World Café principles, in comfortable environment, encouraging the participants to activity, verifying the objective of the meeting clearly and precisely, focusing on the point till the last with the support and management of the table-hosts, sharing information and experiences with each other, also revealing the relationships and contradictions, taking visible and summarizing the results to all participants.

The organizers of the Police Café had to learn and practice this special technique of the community dialogue. For this reason before the Police Café, methodological training had been provided for leaders and local police officers responsible for a district at local police stations of Police Office of Pécs, for altogether 15 persons. Direct aim of the training was the preparation of the police officers to transact Police Cafés in four districts of Pécs. Topics processed in the training, serving essential added values for the organization of forums were the following: possible forum locations by districts and their choosing aspects; scope of people to be invited to the forums; questions to be raised and discussed to the forums, starting points and milestones of problems; definition of skills and expected requirements of the ideal police table-host, necessary methodology for him, minimum conditions necessary and asset demand at the scene of forums. Special "protocols" have been made about all these, which were presentations, introduced results of the working groups, written and drawn on flipchart paper.

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Benefit of the communication training was, that police officers on the one hand could try participants' roles as their own experiences in similar situation to the Café, could live the feeling and dynamic atmosphere of the unconventional problem resolving conversations. It could clear many misunderstandings and disapprovals in them. On the other hand they could practice themselves in the role of the table-host, and received methodological assistance to make the table-host presentation. At the end of the training, they summarized the knowledge gained, they had a chance to tell their impressions, feelings by short reflexions in connection with the project, with the preparatory training, and the handbook containing the description of methodology was handed over to them.

This learning period mustn't be omitted before every Police Café. Only this can ensure that during carrying out the series of events they could all along consciously and consistently keep the principles of communication needed for success and apply techniques learnt.

5. Coordination

All initiatives need an organizer. Someone, who acts as the head of the action, and consciously, purposefully, responsibly and professionally manages the process of dialogue with the community for safety.

The table-hosts of the Police Café Pécs were well trained, experienced, and very open-minded, communicative local police officers, whose role was to moderate conversations of the colourful, table-companions consisting of invitees representing different professions and organisations, to summarize, structure what has been said, than to make and give creative presentations on the topics processed.

Primary aim of this initiative - which has been standalone so far in the Hungarian Police - is the most comprehensive possible involvement of civilians in creation and maintaining of safety. It would like to make the view generally believed that security; creation and operation of more liveable communities are not only police tasks. On purpose to that the police are trying to involve civilians to the common activity for security, just wants to send a message: it cannot be done alone; it is just one, of course highly important player in this cooperation. Probably at this point not necessary to be particularly explained why has police a key role in raising or negotiating, planning, conducting security issues. Police must accept this leading role, and it has to realize that it doesn't pay to flee from its responsibility. Making the virtue of necessity, having special law enforcement expertise, it might have as well all the tools to take in members and groups of the community in this very important activity as a coordinator. This is exactly what has happened in Pécs.

6. Cooperation

If the professionally communicating police act as initiator, its coordinating role will not only be appreciated by the community, but also permanently accepted. Consequently, in the action for safety, the constructive cooperation between the participants is almost automatically created and can be maintained too.

Direct benefit of the Police Café is that - based on the information gathered in this way - local law enforcement organisation shall be able to plan and organize necessary measures and interventions in a more targeted way. Indirect benefit of it, as it is hoped, that those - who have been addressed this way - better and more active as real partners, recognizing their own role and responsibility, would be involved into the exploration, analyses of local problems and through this, by and by involved into resolving them too. Namely the solutions are also born from the community cooperation. The police don't suggest that it is the sole trustee of solving all public safety problems. Much rather, it endeavours - of course based on its specific expertise - to help the improvement of the security in the certain part of the settlement and through this the whole city, creating a more liveable, safer environment with these police initiated and moderated problem solving discussions, Police Cafés - as one of the first steps leading to the solution.

Indirect aim of the Police Café is the introduction of this innovative consultative methodology and dissemination among the widest possible audience. Thereby urging that those who want to do something to make Pécs more liveable and safer, and the responsible organizations shall find each other and not only problems regarding public security but also relationship between them shall be accurately analysed. Only when exploring the reasons of problems will be completed, it will just be possible to identify clearly, and who should be in charge of the planning of management of issue, who should be in charge of the responsible decision making, respectively performance of problem-resolving.

It shall be underlined, that the sustainability of the project can only be guaranteed if the learning and trying of the method won't remain a single occasion, but it will be constantly brushed up and even improved. Its advantage is that it can be con-

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figured flexibly to the actual environment, to the actors and issues, problems to be processed. If we practise the invitees to such pleasant and moreover effective method of discussions, than cooperation can become much smoother, don't evolve - or if they do - certain misunderstandings, conflicts or contradictions can be clarified easier. In time even supposed counter-interests, stereotypes, prejudices, pointing at each other, shifting responsibility will also be reduced. As a result of all these, dialogue will be improved; situation awareness, undertaking problems, making decisions and problem resolving will become more efficient. Community's commitment towards their own safety, life and fate will be developed and the cooperation necessary in this will come into existence.

7. The shield-model of the safe, liveable community

Protection of safety of the community - namely the safe and liveable community - is common social responsibility. In Hungary the permanent law enforcement activity of policing organisations[5] has a crucial role in protection of safety, which however mustn't dispense with the helpful support of non-governmental organisations and citizens. Public security situation of a settlement consists of collection of local problems and therefore its effective treatment can be realized primarily with local collaboration.

In the protection of safety, undisputedly police acts the most important part. Its basic tasks are prevention, detection of crimes, protection of the public safety, the public order and the order of the state borders.[6]

The local governments shall play an active, initiator role in the elaboration and implementation of plans serving safety of the community, in organisation of the local warning systems, the most varied forms of cooperation, the coordination and implementation of local crime prevention programs, and in permanent evaluation. Local governments encourage and motivate the professional and civilian self-organizations of the public, operate the authorities for supervision of public places.[7]

Activities of persons carrying out certain law enforcement functions[8] are essential for maintaining the safety of the community. The person carrying out policing tasks is obliged to take measures or initiate actions when in the responsibility area, during performing duties defined in the law, detects any unlawful facts, activities or defaults, or gets information about any facts, activities or defaults which requires intervention related to carrying out his tasks as defined by law.

The non-governmental organisations are important building blocks of the social cohesion. Many social organizations have more knowledge base than the state actors, moreover their extensive connections capital, credibility means serious potential. They are able to reach such social groups and people who are often disinterested or hostile towards the state actors. The role of the neighbour watch organisations is irretrievable in the consolidation of the local public order, public security and crime prevention activities.

The private security is an integral part of security. The security services of the entrepreneur market are coherent elements of the creation of the safe, liveable communities.

Key actor of creating safe, liveable community is the citizen, who can do the most for his safety. The citizen's self-defence mechanisms require continuous improvement because the lack of observance of norms cannot be remedied with applying sanctions alone.

Based on the ideas above a community security model was born, which integrates activities of the security contributors done in this direction.

The shield-model of the safe, liveable community: it consists of a complex collection of the measures, procedures of the law enforcement authorities; law enforcement obligations of the local governments; obligations of the law enforcement officials; activities of the society organisations; security services of the entrepreneur market and self-defence abilities of citizens.

Its base - is the permanent, progressive dialogue between the law enforcement organisations, local governments, society organisations and the citizens building on the constructive co-operation, regular coordination, as well as intensive and credible communication.

If members of the community are imagined -with this also emphasizing openness - on a large terrace, than over the people sitting at the tables an outstretched sunshade (as a shield) can symbolize security, of which essential pillars are trust and participation. The model has been named about it.

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The shield-model of the safe, liveable community (created by Gyula Gaál)

In Pécs nowadays life and its markedly dominant safety hasn't been worse than earlier. The objective facts also show that. There have to and worth working on that so be it, also in reality not just on paper, and so the locals should also feel the same. But only together - the civilians, the police and the press. ■

NOTES

[1] Gyula Gaál - Katalin Molnár: What can go wrong, will go wrong? Role of the media in forming safe and liveable communities. Border Guard Science Publications of Pécs XIV., editor: Gyula Gaál and Zoltán Hautzinger, Pécs 2013. pages 131-140.

[2] www.theworldcafecommunity.org Date and time of download: 8.13 PM 8 July 2014

[3] See the detailed description of the programme: Gyula Gaál - Katalin Molnár: About the security in another way - Police Café Pécs, Belügyi Szemle Edition: 2014/11. pages: 101-114.

[4] Gaál Gyula - Katalin Molnár: Shield of the safe, liveable communities, Military Science 2015 E-number, pages 111-118. DOI 10.17047/HADTUD.2015.25.E.111

[5] Policing organisations include: Police, disaster management organisations, civilian national security services, customs staff of the National Tax and Revenue Agency, and the Hungarian Prison Service.

[6] Constitution of Hungary (25. April 2011.) Article 46. Chapter (1)

[7] Cf. with content of the Annex 1. title "7. Actors in crime prevention" of Governmental resolution no. 1744/2013 (17. Oct) on the National Crime Prevention Strategy (2013-2023).

[8] Based on the § 1 chapter (2) of Act CXX of 2012 on "The activities of persons carrying out certain law enforcement functions, as well as the amendment for laws combatting against truancy" persons carrying out policing tasks: a nature conservation guard, a member of the forest protection service, a tip guard, a professional hunter, forestry personnel performing law enforcement duties, the fishing guard, supervisor of public places, municipal nature conservation guard, a field inspector.