Community_Policing_and_the_Movie_Hot_Fuzz_(a_Comparison)

The movie Hot Fuzz written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright is an action comedy film about a stellar big city police officer who performs his duties so well that he makes his fellow officers and department look bad. To solve this problem Sergeant Nicholas Angel is sent to the small village of Sandford. This community is a small village with an almost nonexistent crime presence, or at least that’s what the police chief and the neighborhood watch alliance try to perceive. Through some very observant police work, community policing and help from other officers Sgt Angel exposes the true nature of the town and pursues the culprits. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Fuzz) I will focus on three specific examples of community policing that occur throughout the movie. The first example of community policing that I was able to identify in the movie occurs within the first couple of days of Sgt. Angels new assignment in Sandford. During his first couple of shifts he is introduced to almost every member of the community. Through casual conversations he is able to gather names, occupation and bits and pieces of gossip amongst the village which comes in very handy later in the movie. Being a former big city cop he is very surprised to learn that a large majority of the citizens already know his name and his recent rank advancement. Due to the close bond of the community and police this information is quickly and effectively spread to all members of the community. On the downside of that it is very hard for the police to do something without the citizens knowing or hearing about it. The close relationships between the citizens and the police allow the new Sgt to be accepted as an officer as well as a citizen of the community without prejudice of being a new guy or outsider. This makes it easy for him to move about the village and obtain valuable information that might have been withheld under different circumstances. I believe that this is a perfect example of how a turnover or introduction of a new officer into an area that utilizes a community policing approach to law enforcement should be conducted. The second example of community policing I was able to find in the movie Hot Fuzz was when Sgt Angel and a couple other officers went to visit old farmer Webley. Farmer Webley is an older gentleman who lives on the outskirts of the village on his farm. Farmer Webley has a very very thick accent and is unable to be understood by the majority of the villagers. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425112/fullcredits) When Sgt Angel and his partner respond to a complaint made against the farmer they take an older officer with them. Sgt Angel is unsure why the older officer tags along with them until they meet up with the farmer and begin to question him. Every time the farmer speaks his words have to be translated by the older officer to Sgt Angels partner who then translates it to Sgt Angel. The older officer obviously grew up in the same general area or around people who spoke with that thick an accent therefore allowing him to be able to understand what the farmer was saying. His part in that scene was vital in successfully defusing the situation. Had the older officer not responded with Sgt Angel resolution of the matter could have taken a lot longer and been much more frustrating for the farmer and the officers putting unneeded stress in the officer/citizen relationship. In community policing this can be a very large hurdle or obstacle to overcome. Language and cultural barriers can be detrimental to the success of a community policing approach because of the lack or inability to communicate as well as citizens feeling that officers don’t understand where there coming from nor can they relate to them. I believe the best way to overcome this is to use the assets and skills available within the department. For example a senior officer that speaks Spanish should be utilized or assigned to an area where his language can be used rather than possibly giving him or her a more relaxed assignment because of his seniority. The third and final example of community policing in this movie was the alliance or cooperation between the police department and the Neighborhood Watch Alliance or (NWA) as referred to in the movie. The NWA worked hand in hand with the police in reporting crime and investigating utilizing community resources. They had such a good reputation with the police and the community that they were given there own office or operation room within the police facility. The police even allow the members of the NWA to carry radios for faster communication and resolution of problems where communication between the community and the officers is needed. In the end of the movie the NWA turns out to be a cult like group so overzealous with the reputation of Sandford being the safest village in the country that they hide and cover up crimes. However, throughout the movie it can be seen how effectively a group like this can be utilized by the police. The movie also showed one of the downsides to a program like this which was the way the NWA was concerned with some very small matters which wasted the officers time and resources to handle in order to maintain good relations with them. In conclusion Hot Fuzz is not only a good funny movie in my opinion, but it also gives many different examples of community policing. Relations with citizens, overcoming language barriers, and cooperation between police and village organizations were just a few of the examples shown in the movie. This movie even shows the viewer little flashbacks at the end when Sgt Angel is explaining how he uncovered the NWA’s cover-ups and crimes that clearly shows how his community policing skills helped him to uncover the truth. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Fuzz http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425112/fullcredits http://www.funtrivia.com/en/Movies/Hot-Fuzz-17280.html Miller, L. S. Hess, M. K. Orthmann, C. H. (2010) Community Policing: Partnerships Wharton, Natascha (Producer), & Wright, Edgar (Director). (2007). Hot Fuzz [Motion Picture]. United States: Rogue Pictures. David Garner 04/20/2010