Seven Principles of the Youngstown Accord

Seven Principles of the Youngstown Accord

A democracy is defined by extensive values involving participation and formal rules about procedures, such as elections. For most people, these values are taken away from their daily lives. But this is not true for police officers because they an agency of government that citizens see every day and have contact with.

The police have the most dangerous and most serious responsibility in ensuring the public's safety and protection of very individual against all type of crimes. The conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina set forth seven principles that would guide policing in both established and emerging democracies around the world. These seven principles show ways in which it helps in determining and establishing the true and genuine nature of policing.

The purpose of the police is to enforce the laws passed by the democratic governments. Societies use police to control crime and contribute to public order (Marx, 1995). Police are the center of democratic society. One element in defining such a society is a police that is subject to the rule of law, a force that can get involved with the life of citizens and is publicly accountable.

The seven principles, known as the "Youngstown Accord", outlined they ways that police should conduct themselves in order to do their jobs effectively. First, the police must operate in accordance with democratic principles. This means that the police should be trained in law, should understand international standards of human rights and should act in accordance with the criminal code. Second, the police as recipients of public trust should be considered as professionals whose conduct must be governed by a professional code. This code should imitate the highest ethical values and should provide the basis upon which allegations of misconduct can be judged and disciplinary action taken. Third, the police must have as their highest priority the protection of life. This principle deals with the police use of force, particularly the use of deadly force suitable to save a life. The circumstances around the use of deadly for should be examined to determine whether the standards are met to use it. Fourth, the police must serve the community and consider themselves accountable to the community. To apply this, the participants agreed to provide clearness to their operations as to publicly distributes reports, establish ways for the public to request police service, create forums for open discussions on crime problems, and establish external review of allegations of police misconduct. Fifth, the police must recognize that protection of life and property is the primary function of police operations. This agreement says that the main concern of police operations but be the prevention of crime. Sixth, the police must conduct their activities with respect for human dignity and basic human rights. The agreement to this says