Abstract
Collective efficacy is a neighbourhood social process that has important benefits for crime prevention. Policing is thought to be one antecedent to collective efficacy, but the mechanisms by which police activity and officer behaviour are thought to foster collective efficacy are not well understood. This article presents findings from a rapid evidence assessment conducted to take stock of the empirical research on policing and collective efficacy. Thirty-nine studies were identified and examined. Overall, trust in police was the aspect of policing most consistently associated with collective efficacy. There was also some evidence that community policing activities, such as visibility and community engagement, predicted collective efficacy. Police legitimacy, on the other hand, was relatively unrelated to collective efficacy: a finding which suggests perceptions of police linked to the ‘action’ of individual officers may be more enabling of collective efficacy than perceptions of the policing institution as a whole. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Highlights
Decades of research have shown that neighbourhoods high in collective efficacy – a construct that relates to social ties among neighbours, combined with a willingness to intervene to solve local problems – experience fewer crime problems (Morenoff et al, 2001; Sampson et al, 1997)
We have presented possible mechanisms for how policing might foster collective efficacy, collective efficacy has been theorised in the literature as a predictor of trust and legitimacy (Jackson and Bradford, 2009; Jackson and Sunshine, 2007; Jackson et al, 2013; Kochel, 2018b; Nix et al, 2015)
A total of 39 studies were included in this rapid evidence assessment (REA)
Summary
Decades of research have shown that neighbourhoods high in collective efficacy – a construct that relates to social ties among neighbours, combined with a willingness to intervene to solve local problems – experience fewer crime problems (Morenoff et al, 2001; Sampson et al, 1997). When residents know and trust one another, and are motivated to take collective action, crime decreases. These findings have been replicated across different neighbourhoods, cities and countries (Burchfield and Silver, 2013; Mazerolle et al, 2010; Morenoff et al, 2001; Sampson et al, 1997; Sampson and Wikstrom, 2008; Wikstrom et al, 2012; Zhang et al, 2007). Despite the crime-reducing (and other) benefits of collective efficacy, little research has examined the factors that generate and sustain it over time (Hipp and Wickes, 2017; Wickes et al, 2013)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Police Science & Management
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
