Striving towards a holistic approach to policing: the Townsville Rapid Action and Patrols model

Kitching, Joe;Chong, Mark David

Abstract

In early 2014, Townsville experienced increasing crime rates and the community expressed fear for their personal safety through various social media platforms. In response, the police commenced intelligence-led proactive and reactive policing strategies to more effectively reduce offending and the fear of crime in the community through an innovative policing unit called the Townsville Rapid Action and Patrols (RAP). This new police unit provided an ideal opportunity for the Queensland Police Service to go beyond merely deterring crime. These police officers would now also be tasked to gather intelligence to assist in identifying the underlying causes of crime; share that information with other appropriate agencies; and help to develop rehabilitative and reintegrative strategies that will engage and support vulnerable people in the community. Whilst there is strong evidence the RAP plays an important role in deterring crime through enforcement, efforts to conceptualise and operationalise the rehabilitative, reintegrative and community engagement tasks given to officers remains ongoing to encourage and cognitively empower them to go that extra mile beyond mere deterrence to help vulnerable people divert away from crime and lead more productive lives.

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James Cook University Law Review

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1839-2792

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James Cook University

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