Community policing is an epicycle

Abstract

Community policing has been described as a successful “new paradigm” and even a developing “normal science” of policing. From a detailed application of Kuhn's definitions of paradigm and normal science, this article infers that community policing is neither; but is rather an epicycle in defense of policing as a paradigm. An eight‐point definitional model of normal science – of which the first four points define paradigm – is developed and used to show that community policing is not a new paradigm; and that neither community policing nor policing itself is a normal science. Claiming to have a paradigm is an attempt to increase the prestige and dominance of policing among social sciences.

Citation

Gowri, A. (2003), "Community policing is an epicycle", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 26 No. 4, pp. 591-611. https://doi.org/10.1108/13639510310503532