Community Problems, Problem Communities, and Community Policing in Toronto

The current development of “community”-based policing as the new reform model of urban policing has been characterized by vague conceptualization and limited empirical testing. A series of propositions derived from the community policing model are examined using the findings from a recent community policing project in Toronto. The results of this analysis suggest that the community policing model needs further conceptual and empirical elaboration, despite its apparent public popularity.