Social Capital Strategies in the Preventive Police of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Keywords:
capable police, fairness in police behavior, trust between police and the public, preventive policing , Social capitalAbstract
Establishing order, ensuring security, and providing comfort and peace are among the essential duties of any government. Without security, no social functions can be effectively executed. The Preventive Police, given the breadth of its operations, aims to maintain continuous engagement with the public to build trust and enhance public participation. Increased participation strengthens social capital, thereby fostering societal peace and tranquility. Accordingly, the present study aims to identify the social capital strategies within the Preventive Police of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This study is conducted within an interpretive paradigm and follows a qualitative approach. Thematic analysis strategy was used to analyze the obtained data. The statistical population included academic experts and senior police officials (including the Head of the Preventive Police, police station chiefs, commanders of emergency units, outpost commanders, senior operations and follow-up experts, and judicial services officers). Data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews with 16 purposefully selected experts. For validation, two strategies were used: external audit and triangulation. Based on the research findings, three main themes and eleven sub-themes were identified. The main themes of citizen-police interaction based on social capital are as follows: trust between the police and the public (including capacity-building for public participation, police volunteer activities, social interaction, and the use of social networks); fairness in police behavior (including police honesty, behavioral justice, adherence to the law, and ethical standards); and empowered police (including staff capacity-building, police competency, and police socialization). These were confirmed as key social capital strategies for the Preventive Police. The success of the police in maintaining order and security reflects strong cooperation and interaction between the police and the public. Therefore, enhancing social capital within the domain of community-based policing, through continuous and sustainable strategies and capabilities in all dimensions, can provide a suitable foundation for monitoring, trust-building, socialization, and prevention of deviance and social harm, thereby contributing to the preservation of societal order.
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