Policing Pledging Analysis (Power)

Policing Pledging Analysis:

This extract is a leaflet of the Policing Pledge which shows a set of promises the police has when providing a service to the community. It is very formal and written to inform the public of the promises they offer to solve crime, in order of making the community a safer place for residents.

The lexical choice of the repetition of modal verbs such as “we will” “we aim” displays the willingness of cooperation from the police.  “We will” also shows certainty and this shows that the police could be seen as powerful as they can be depended on to make sure citizens are protected from harm.  The choice of personal pronouns such as “you know” “if you need us” shows they are appealing to the whole public, but as individuals. This could suggest that the police are purposely being fair to show they respect every individual equally.

There is no use of gender prejudice such as women needing more help or stereotypical scenarios that may occur, written in the pledge. This shows they are being equal and also they do not use lexical language such as “policeman” as they may sound as if males are more dominant. Therefore appealing to everyone as ” you”  and the police force as “we” shows no discrimination and everyone has equal opportunity and power within society. 

There is power within discourse as the police are giving the public the responsibility of reporting the crime that occurs in the neighbourhood so that appropriate action can be taken. There are multiple ways of contacting the police which shows the police are not placing any constraints and the citizens have flexibility in a favourite method of contact. This shows high accessibility as not only can you telephone the police as most people would do, there are also methods such as on the TV, website and kiosks and many people may be unaware of these methods. 

There is also power behind discourse as in society police are highly recognised as powerful and as a “hero” figure. This is due to them fighting crime and they are paid to provide a service, which is to protect the civilians. They have legal power of the neighbourhoods as they strictly abide by the law when solving crime.