Abstract
Over a decade ago Banton wrote of the confusion engendered by the term ‘community policing’, which put police on the defensive and suggested the need for ‘the special treatment of particular minorities’. Criteria of competence have important relevance to community policing. It is known that there is resistance to community policing among constables. The research was sited at three adjacent police stations in the inner-city jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Police and one suburban station in the Surrey Constabulary. The principal method was field observation, with the authors accompanying patrol officers as observers. There was a contrast in the commitment to community constables in the research sites. Community policing has evolved as a means to influence police decision-making at both street and managerial levels. It can be viewed as an attempt to constrain police discretion in certain contexts. The community constable system at the principal research site enjoyed high status.