Guiding principles important in policing

by | May 20, 2025 | Analysis

 

 

why are the guiding principles important in policing

 

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Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

Guiding principles are foundational to effective, ethical, and legitimate policing. They serve as a moral compass, operational framework, and a benchmark for accountability, impacting every aspect of law enforcement from daily interactions to strategic planning. Here’s why they are crucial:

  1. Establishing Trust and Legitimacy:

    • Public Consent: As famously articulated by Sir Robert Peel’s principles, the power of the police is dependent on public approval. Guiding principles emphasize that police derive their authority from the consent of the community, not just from the state. When police operate according to principles of fairness, respect, and impartiality, they earn and maintain this trust.
    • Legitimacy: A police force perceived as legitimate is one that the public views as fair, unbiased, and operating within the bounds of the law. Guiding principles provide the framework for achieving and maintaining this legitimacy, which is essential for public cooperation in preventing and solving crime.

Guiding principles are foundational to effective, ethical, and legitimate policing. They serve as a moral compass, operational framework, and a benchmark for accountability, impacting every aspect of law enforcement from daily interactions to strategic planning. Here’s why they are crucial:

  1. Establishing Trust and Legitimacy:

    • Public Consent: As famously articulated by Sir Robert Peel’s principles, the power of the police is dependent on public approval. Guiding principles emphasize that police derive their authority from the consent of the community, not just from the state. When police operate according to principles of fairness, respect, and impartiality, they earn and maintain this trust.
    • Legitimacy: A police force perceived as legitimate is one that the public views as fair, unbiased, and operating within the bounds of the law. Guiding principles provide the framework for achieving and maintaining this legitimacy, which is essential for public cooperation in preventing and solving crime.

  1. Providing a Moral and Ethical Compass:

    • Guidance in Complex Situations: Policing often involves high-stakes, ambiguous, and emotionally charged situations where split-second decisions are required. Guiding principles offer a clear ethical framework for officers to navigate these dilemmas, helping them to “do the right thing” even when circumstances are difficult or when no clear policy exists.
    • Promoting Integrity: Principles like honesty, integrity, and objectivity reinforce the high ethical standards expected of officers who are granted significant power and authority. They help prevent corruption, abuse of power, and other forms of misconduct.

  2. Ensuring Accountability and Professionalism:

    • Setting Standards: Guiding principles set the baseline for acceptable and unacceptable police behavior. They provide a clear standard against which officer conduct can be measured, making it easier to identify and address misconduct.
    • Internal Consistency: They promote a unified professional culture within the police department, ensuring that all officers, from recruits to leadership, understand and adhere to a common set of values and behaviors. This fosters internal legitimacy and consistency in operations.
    • Justifying Actions: When police actions are questioned, adherence to clear guiding principles provides a basis for explaining and justifying decisions, which is vital for transparency and public understanding.

  3. Enhancing Operational Effectiveness:

    • Community Cooperation: When the public trusts and respects the police, they are more likely to cooperate with investigations, provide information, report crimes, and engage in crime prevention efforts. This cooperation is fundamental to effective policing.
    • Minimizing Force: Principles often emphasize the use of non-violent means and the minimum necessary force. This not only protects human rights but also reduces community backlash and enhances the public’s willingness to cooperate.
    • De-escalation: Principles that prioritize respectful communication and de-escalation techniques can prevent situations from escalating unnecessarily, leading to safer outcomes for both officers and the public.

  4. Adapting to Societal Changes:

    • Reflecting Community Values: Guiding principles are not static; they evolve to reflect the changing social, political, and economic environment. They help police adapt to new challenges, address historical injustices (e.g., discrimination), and remain relevant to the diverse needs of the communities they serve.
    • Fostering Empathy and Respect: Principles that emphasize respect for diversity and empathy for different perspectives enable officers to better understand and serve all members of the community, including historically marginalized groups.

In essence, guiding principles are the backbone of a modern, democratic police force. They provide the moral imperative, the operational blueprint, and the pathway to building and sustaining the public trust that is indispensable for effective law enforcement. Without them, policing risks becoming arbitrary, biased, and detached from the communities it is sworn to protect.

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