Abstract
Neighbourhood or community policing is like democracy – everyone agrees it is a good thing but the consensus extends little further. Its scope and objectives are contested, and its role in policing is as uncertain as the methods by which it should be achieved. Yet the world’s taxpayers have invested billions in it. This Ideas paper assesses the evidence on community policing, examines different versions of it – Problem-Oriented Policing, Reassurance Policing, Neighbourhood Policing – and highlights the lessons for successful community policing.