London Metropolitan Police: experiences and perceptions of citizen disrespect

Abstract

Although a body of research exists examining the influence of citizen disrespect on police decision-making and use of force, that research is limited in its capacity to appropriately conceptualize citizen disrespect. In fact, little is known about the verbal and non-verbal behaviors that signify disrespect for officers in the UK (and abroad). Utilizing survey data from officers in the London Metropolitan Police, this descriptive research sought to understand the breadth of behaviors that officers found disrespectful, to discover how often officers anticipated disrespect and perceived that they are experiencing disrespectful citizens, and identify the behaviors officers found most egregious. Overall, officers estimate that they experienced low-level verbally disrespectful behaviors more often than physical acts of disrespect. They also estimated that they anticipated and experienced disrespectful behaviors more often in potentially dangerous encounters or ones where the citizen’s sobriety is in question. The results help lay the foundation for future causal research by establishing an officer-based conceputalization of disrespect.