26 Resource book on the use of force and firearms in law enforcement Community-oriented policing is based on the assumption that police cannot prevent and control crime and disorder alone but require the support of the community to ensure safety and security. It can be defined as “a collaborative effort between the police and the community that identifies problems of crime and disorder and involves all elements of the community in the search for solution to these problems”.70 CHANGE OF POLICING MODEL IN ECUADOR In response to extreme levels of violent and organized crime, some States employed so-called mano dura approaches, applying severe penalties and excessive use of force. An example of a State that has broken with the “tough hand approach” of the past is Ecuador. In 2011, Ecuador was one of the most violent countries in the world, but has now managed to have the number of homicides drop by almost two thirds.a This was achieved through the implementation of an integrated “citizen security” strategy and, above all, a new philosophy on improving police-citizen relations. A number of initiatives were implemented in order to professionalize the police, and transform them from a military police to a civilian and community police force: • First, the Government more than doubled the budget for security (to 2.3 per cent of its fiscal budget), of which a large proportion was invested in Community Police Units (UPC); emergency buttons in public spaces and businesses, which are connected to the closest UPC station; and police vehicles, many of which are now equipped with GPS, video cameras and modern communication systems. In addition, the authorities also reclaimed public spaces and worked with thousands of community leaders to improve citizen security. • Second, Ecuador embarked on a massive reform of its police forces, involving enhanced training, more foot and bicycle patrols, and policing in and with the communities. Also, police salaries were raised, attracting more candidates to apply for jobs with the police while nearly 400 officers resigned from the force in 2014 due to the stiffer standards of police professionalism. a Bachelet, Pablo and Mauricio García Mejía, “How Ecuador is Lowering its Murder Rate,” InsightCrime, 15 February 2015 at: http://www.insightcrime.org/news-analysis/how-ecuador-is-lowering-its-murder-rate PROFESSIONALISM AND PROPER HANDLING OF CONFLICT Legitimacy is also gained by the way conflict situations are handled. Law enforcement officials who remain calm and maintain a professional attitude, using effective communication and negotiation skills, are more likely to win the respect of members of the public than those that establish their authority by using (or threatening to use) force. In some countries law enforcement is very much based on a display of authority. This often goes hand-in-hand with a focus on State security or the security of the political establishment, rather than citizen security. Citizen security The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights introduced the concept of “citizen security”, which is “a situation in which persons are able to live free of the threats caused by violence and crime, and the State has the necessary means to guarantee and protect the human rights directly threatened by violence and crime. Taking a human rights approach, citizen security is, in practical terms, a condition in which individuals live free from the violence practiced by State and non-state actors”.a a 70  See Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Report on Citizen Security and Human Rights, December, 2009, para. 221. See Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), 2004, p. 3.