Social Allies methodology as a means of connecting

• In Event: Pol-recraft, training in relational craftmanship

Abstract

Around 2010, the Netherlands was struggling with severe social tensions. There were disturbances in large urban neighborhoods and there were clear signs of radicalization. In Utrecht the question rose whether the police and municipalities still had a good overview of what was going on in the neighborhoods. In order to detect social tensions in an early stage, a different form of citizen participation was developed. This is the Social Allies methodology, which involves periodic consultations between the local police chief and the municipality on the one hand and residents and other stakeholders in the working area of a police unit on the other. In this new approach to network policing, the police and the municipalities select the members of a network, looking especially for people who represent a particular community or are otherwise involved in the day to day life of the neighborhood. Working with Social Allies has increased the information position of the police in all kinds of safety issues and has in many ways improved the relationship with the neighborhood.

In this lecture, we will present the results of a research conducted on the Social Allies methodology. We will talk about (discuss) the selection of the social allies, the possibilities of different network compositions and the different working methods as a leading example of policing with a relational perspective. But we will also look at the flaws of the methodology, as indicated by the research.

Author

• Ronald van der Wal, Police Academy of The Netherlands