The relationship between civilians and police officers is of paramount importance ensuring that law and order prevails in the society. Police officers cannot successfully perform their duties without the support of civilians. On the other hand, police officers have a responsibility of ensuring law and order prevails in the society for civilians to carry out their daily activities without fear or interruptions. However, in the recent past these relationships have been constrained due to various reasons. Police officers and civilians have in some cases clashed and this has worsened the relationships between these two groups. Police officers have a duty to protect all civilians and ensure law and order is maintained at all times. On the other hand, civilians demand to enjoy their rights and conduct their daily activities without being interrupted by other civilians or police officers (Chaney, & Robertson, 2013). The gap between marinating law and order and exercising the freedoms and rights enshrined in constitutions create a conflict between police officers and civilians. Police brutality has become a common phenomenon in the modern society despite the presence of rules that regulate how they should behave when performing their duties. This paper examines the concept of police brutality in the context of its background, causes, impacts and solutions.
Background.
The issue of police brutality did not begin with the advent of modern democracies but has been in existence for a very long time; however, very few people are courageous to discuss and condemn it (Embrick, 2015). Initially, the ruling class used police offers and other security agents to protect its property and territories. Racist individuals used the same forces to protect their interest and marginalize minority groups. However, these were group cases which occurred once in a while. Most of these cases involved police officers assaulting civilians during violent protests.
