Critically discuss whether or not recent changes to police oversight Term Paper

Critically discuss whether or not recent changes to police oversight have made the police more accountable to communities.'' - Term Paper Example Additionally, an endeavour that takes a more time is needed to develop an outline that will guide police oversight and accountability to ensure uprightness in the structures of the police force is reinforced. Accountability denotes a range of definitions that include the state of answerability, openness, efficient management and responsiveness (Newburn, 2008). Police accountability entails holding individual police officers together with law enforcement agencies responsible for efficiently delivering fundamental services that involve the control of crime while maintaining order (Calderon and Hernandez-Figueroa, 2013). This should be done while treating the people fairly and within the confines of the law. The police are supposed to maintain laws that deal with the due process, searches as well as seizures, arrest of offenders, discrimination and the laws that are associated with equal employment, sexual harassment and so on. In a society that is of a democratic nature, the political processes together with the officials who are elected are supposed to make sure the police are accountable and they represent the will of the people. The process of making sure the police maintain a certain l evel of accountability is vital as far as the maintaining of the faith the public has in the system is concerned (Kagari and Thomas, 2006, p. 41). The police themselves can be considered as core players as far restoring and maintaining the integrity of the police is concerned and their accountability is not limited to the police as well as the independent police agencies (Prenzler, 2009, p. 93). The different bodies which form the state all play a particular role while the role of the public is more than being clients that have the ability to share their concerns since they are supposed to share responsibility that will allow for fair and efficient policing. The police are guided by the rule of law as well as legislation that