Police officers’ trust in criminal justice

Abstract

This study attempts to gain a clearer view of police officers’ beliefs about criminal justice and the factors that may contribute to their lack of trust in it. It is based on both qualitative interviews and an electronic survey of police officers in the Netherlands. The study shows that Netherlands’ police officers are generally highly critical of the criminal justice system. They complain that prosecutors and judges frequently let them down. Their negative views concentrate on the practices of criminal evidence, sentencing, and pre-trial detention. The negative views of police officers do not only result from their experience of specific failures of criminal justice, but also reflect a cynical police subculture. The notion of street justice may be important to understand the officers’ frustrations and their negative views on the practices of public prosecutors and the courts.