The constable generalist as exemplary citizen, networker, and problem‐solver: Some implications

Abstract

For some time now the constable generalist has been a favoured model of the front‐line state‐funded general duty police officer. However, despite being favoured as an ideal, it has yet to be widely practiced. This paper seeks to address what impediments exist between the ‘model’ of the constable generalist and the reality of its widespread implementation. It is contended that the constable generalist can be broken down into three subtypes: the exemplary citizen, the networker, and the problem‐solver. Each of these variants are institutionally impeded from becoming practical realities. The constable generalist conceives police officers to be exemplary citizens, but law enforcement officers are tainted by crime‐taking exigencies. The constable generalist conceives the police to be networkers or network managers, but police as state representatives are traditionally seen as delimited in the information they have a right to act upon. The constable‐generalist conceives the police officer as an analyst and prob...