Volunteerism in community policing : A case study in Nonthaburi Province, Thailand

The purpose of this study is to identify the principal determinants associated with motivational factors in becoming and staying as volunteers in community policing. The research on volunteer motivations is based on the functionalist theory. An existing instrument, the Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI), is used to measure the functions. The volunteers' opinions on community policing are also used to measure volunteering motivations consisting of policy, budget, training, tool and necessary equipment, wage and welfare, knowledge and ability of the heads of the local police organizations, and acceptance and respectability from police officers. Subsequently, the volunteers' demographic factors are analyzed with the Volunteer Functions Inventory to come up with a pattern of volunteerism in the community policing in Nonthaburi province. And lastly, the improvements and the strengths of volunteerism in community policing are presented. Volunteers in the community policing in Nonthaburi province of the Local Centre of Cooperation in the Prevention of Crimes, the Mayors, Executive Board's Chairpersons of Subdistrict Administration Organization (SAO), and heads of the local police organizations are studied.
The findings from volunteers' demographic factors reveal that the volunteers are elderly, have village committee in the community, a volunteer in other agencies, have long lengths of volunteer service, and have faith in religion. Occupation, education level, income, and the location of volunteer's house do not relate to this pattern. Results indicate that the Understanding and Enhancement motives are
predictive of the satisfaction to be and continue working with the Local Centre of
Cooperation in the Prevention of Crimes. Community policing provides them an opportunity to seek new experiences and to learn more about various aspect of police task which is of interest to them. They are also attracted to because it gives them an opportunity to maintain or to enhance a positive mood, as well as for reasons of personal growth and to increase self esteem. The relationship between the volunteers' opinion of community policing with the volunteers' motivation reveals that policy, tool and necessary equipment, training,
and knowledge and ability of the head of the local police organization are predictive of
the motivations in terms of Volunteer Functions Inventory. Finally, this finding shows that wage and welfare is the most important factor for this program, followed by training, law, budget and tool and necessary equipment, insufficient volunteers and cooperation among stakeholders in The Local Centre of Cooperation in the Prevention of Crimes. The recommendation of this thesis is that the Royal Thai Police and Nonthaburi Provincial Police Division should recognize and improve every process of this program according the results of this thesis