Public Confidence In Police Research Articles

The Need for a Standardized Body-Worn Camera Policy

Based on a survey of all federal, provincial, municipal, and First Nations police services in Canada, 36 of 172 Canadian police services are using body-worn cameras (BWCs) as of 2022. Twenty-seven of these services shared their BWC policy with the researchers of the source article. Almost all BWC policies provided activation instructions, required subject notification of BWC use as soon as reasonably possible, did not allow BWC footage to substitute for other forms of evidence, and permitted users to view their BWC footage. However, some important topics were not consistently discussed in existing policies, including issues around camera buffering, victim-sensitive practices, and services publicly disclosing BWC footage in the public interest. Police services should work towards using a nationally standardized BWC policy to promote evidence-based practice, increase public confidence in police, reduce resource wastage in services acquiring BWCs, and decrease liability for services using a shared standard.

Challenges for drug checking services in Scotland: a qualitative exploration of police perceptions

BackgroundThe impact of policing practices on the engagement of people who use drugs (PWUD) with harm reduction services is well evidenced. Although the police have traditionally taken an enforcement role in responding to drug use, it is increasingly clear that they can play an important part in multiagency delivery of harm reduction interventions. Despite this, there have been no studies exploring police officer perceptions of drug checking services (DCS), which provide analytical testing of client drug samples alongside harm reduction support and advice.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 police officers to explore the policing and legal challenges which could be encountered in the delivery of DCS in Scotland.ResultsParticipants expressed general support for DCS and described this support as part of a wider organisational shift towards public health-oriented policing. Participants also discussed different potential approaches to the policing of areas surrounding DCS including: formal limits on police presence around the service and/or stop and search powers in relation to personal possession; the effective decriminalisation of personal possession within a specified boundary around the service; and informal agreements between local divisions and DCS outlining expected policing practices. Any formal limitation on the capacity of police officers to respond to community concerns was viewed as problematic and as having the potential to erode public confidence in policing. Participants also highlighted the potential for frontline officers to utilise discretion in ways which could undermine public health goals. Legislative change, or national strategic guidance from relevant stakeholders, was seen as a means of providing ‘cover’, enabling local divisions to support the operation of drug checking.ConclusionsDespite a small sample of participants, this study summarises key challenges to be addressed in the implementation and operation of DCS in Scotland, and more widely. The paper concludes with suggested opportunities to develop approaches to policing that can facilitate rather than impede implementation and operation of these services.

Tracking Procedural Justice in Processing Detainees: Coding Evidence from CCTV Cameras in Three Police Custody Suites

Research questionHow closely do custody suite encounters between detainees and custody suite officers (CSOs) match the procedural standards for decision makers treating people who are subject to their authority? To what degree does measurement of procedural justice displayed by CSOs on closed-circuit television (CCTV) records vary across detainees, CSOs and custody suites?DataArrest records for July, August, and September 2020 across three custody suites in the East of England were obtained and a random sample of 150 encounters selected for analysis. MethodsEncounters between CSOs and detainees at the booking-in stage as captured on pre-recorded CCTV were coded into four elements of procedural justice: voice, trustworthy motives, impartiality, and respect. Non-verbal communications and dialogue were also examined. FindingsOverall, custody suite officers demonstrated high levels of respect and neutrality in dealing with detainees. However, they showed relatively less care for the wellbeing of the detainees and did not offer them enough opportunities to ‘tell their side of the story’ (‘voice’). Further analysis revealed statistically significant variations across the three custody suites in the level of opportunities offered to detainees to have an input in discussing the decision-making. We also found evidence that as length of service as police officers and in custody roles increased, the observed level of expression of ‘trustworthy motives’ displayed decreased. Finally, detainee compliance with officers was greater when respect and care for the wellbeing of detainees were more pronounced. ConclusionsA tracking study can help identify police units and police officers with greater concentrations of procedural justice deficits. Such evidence can support more targeted training to improve the delivery of procedural justice, and enhance public confidence in policing.

The Causes of Police Corruption and Working towards Prevention in Conflict-Stricken States

The police are the initial faces of law enforcement and commence the criminal justice process and thus hold significant responsibility for functioning law and order. As key representatives of the state, the integrity of the police in all societies is pivotal to retain public trust in the rule of law and the preservation of internal security. When police corruption is exposed or is perceived by the public to be prevalent, confidence in and communal relations with the police force become disjointed. Poor credibility of the police also negatively impacts on the legitimacy of the government. Negative public perceptions of both the police and government are particularly troublesome in violently divided societies or states undergoing armed conflict. The article focuses on the main causes and consequences of police corruption in hostile environments to introduce a range of prevention strategies to combat it and restore public confidence in policing and governance. The article suggests that a holistic anticorruption strategy, rather than a linear one, has the potential to raise awareness, increase pay to deter petty forms of corruption, install independent anticorruption agencies, and periodically rotate police officers to increase police integrity and loyalty for the host country. It is recommended that these multifaceted prevention strategies are needed within a police force that is faced with a violently divided society to reaffirm public support and deter support for armed anti-governmental oppositional groups.

‘Passing’, but Far from Perfect: Assessing Public Confidence in Police and Desire for Reform in Pennsylvania

Abstract With data collected from a representative sample of 522 Pennsylvania residents, this study measures public confidence in police and analyses public support for policing practices. Adopting a mixed-method approach, this study also analyses public desire for police reform and correlates of support for police reform. Findings reveal that participants expressed moderate levels of confidence in their local police, although confidence varied across racial groups. Despite this avowed confidence, participants also expressed desire for police reforms. The most supported reforms were those intended to increase officers’ training on mental illness, substance use dependency, and de-escalation techniques; enhance officers’ capabilities of handling critical incidents involving vulnerable populations; implement policing models that incorporate community input and oversight; and increase officer transparency and accountability. A key finding on police reform suggests that the racial divide in support for police reform is usefully informed by including, and not ignoring, significant generational, regional, and political divides. Policy implications based on these findings are discussed within.

Antecedents of public confidence in police in a conflict zone: A multi‐stakeholder view

Public confidence in Police produces valuable outcomes for society. The present paper explores the drivers of public confidence in Police in Kashmir, India. The data were collected from 277 citizens and 318 police personnel in Kashmir. The study examined the role of the image of Police, media, the neutrality of Police, and community policing in influencing public confidence in the Police. Results indicated that police personnel considered the neutrality of Police and the role of media as the most crucial determinants of public confidence. However, citizens' expectations were different. Citizens believed that community policing and the image of the Police were essential to elicit their confidence in the Police. The study is a novel attempt to empirically examine the gap between citizens' expectations and the Police's perception of those expectations in a conflict zone. The findings of this study would enable policymakers to design suitable interventions to secure public confidence in Police in a conflict zone.

"경찰에 대한 신뢰도 영향요인 분석 :표현적 시각 모형에서 범죄두려움의 매개효과 검증 "

본 연구의 목적은 경찰 신뢰도를 설명하는 두 가지 모형을 결합하여 표현적 시각 요인들이 경찰 신뢰도를 설명할 때 도구적 시각 요인인 범죄 두려움을 통하여 매개하는 효과가 있는지를 검증하는 것이다. 일반적으로 경찰 신뢰도에 대한 설명은 크게 두 가지로 나눠진다. 먼저 경찰신뢰도는 주민들의 경찰활동에 대한 평가의 결과로서 개인적으로 범죄로 인해 피해를 입은 경험이 없고, 범죄에 대한 두려움이 낮으면 경찰에 대한 신뢰도가 높게 나타난다는 도구적 시각의 설명모형이 있다. 그 다음 표현적 시각의 경찰신뢰도 설명 모형은 경찰신뢰도를 설명함에 있어 가장 적합한 요인은 지역 주민간의 사회적 결속력 또는 사회적 도덕 질서 수준이라고 설명한다. 하지만 대부분 연구들은 도구적 시각과 표현적 시각을 따로 검증 또는 비교한 연구들이기 때문에 현재까지 경찰신뢰도의 설명 모형을 통합하여 매개 효과를 검증한 연구는 아직까지 없는 실정이다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 표현적 설명 요인인 물리적 무질서, 사회적 무질서, 사회적 유대, 비공식적 사회통제 요인별로 각각 경찰의 신뢰도 형성에 유의미한 영향을 미치는 지 확인하고, 이러한 관계에 있어 도구적 설명모형의 주요 변수인 범죄두려움을 매개변수로 제시하여 각 독립변수에 따른 그 영향력도 검증하고자 하였다. 이를 위해 한국형사정책연구원이 12,620명을 대상으로 수집한 2016 전국범죄피해조사자료를 연구에 사용하였다. 여러 인구사회학적 변수와 표현적 설명요인들을 독립변수로 설정한 후 구조방정식 모형 분석을 실시하였다. 그 결과, 물리적·사회적 무질서, 사회유대, 비공식적 사회통제 요인이 경찰에 대한 신뢰도에 직접적인 영향을 미치는 것을 확인하였다. 또한 물리적·사회적 무질서, 사회유대, 비공식적 사회통제 요인이 범죄두려움을 매개하여 경찰 신뢰도에 영향을 주고 있음을 경험적으로 알 수 있었다. 이러한 결과를 바탕으로 시민들의 경찰에 대한 신뢰도를 향상시킬 수 있는 정책적 제안을 제시하였다.

The New Zealand Police Early Intervention System: A review of implementation and impact issues

This paper examines the implementation process and impacts of an Early Intervention System (EIS) introduced into the New Zealand Police in 2013. The system was associated with large reductions in complaints of 72.5% against target employees ( N = 526), but without this clearly translating into reductions in the overall number of complaints. The New Zealand case also highlighted the issue of the different potential uses of early intervention. Should the priority be officer welfare or the more usual aim of improving officer conduct, police–citizen relations and public confidence in police? The authors argue that the traditional focus on reducing adverse incidents between police and citizens, with public complaints as a major guide and measure, should have at least equal weight in an EIS that is part of a comprehensive state-of-the-art police integrity management system. The paper also highlights the need for detailed publicly accessible data to ensure accountability of investments in integrity strategies.

Apartheid and post-apartheid analysis of public confidence in the police

PurposeGiven the tumultuous history of policing in South Africa, the historic relationship between the police and the public, and the continuous rising crime rates, it is perplexing that little quantitative research has been conducted on legitimacy and the SAPS. The current study assesses public confidence in police in South Africa by analyzing data from a more than three-decade-old public opinion survey. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to examine changes in public confidence since 1981; and second, to determine factors that cause variations in confidence during a given period.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve the objectives, the authors analyzed longitudinal data collected from 1981 to 2014 as part of the world Value Survey program. ANOVA and multivariate regression analyses were conducted.FindingsFindings indicate that confidence in SAPS was highest during the period immediately after apartheid and then dwindled from 1999 onwards. Moreover, race, happiness and education have historically influenced public confidence in the police.Originality/valueThese findings provide information that could be useful for transforming the SAPS, especially in developing viable strategies to strengthen the police’s relationship with citizens. Additionally, the manuscript provides an original contribution to the study of public attitudes toward the police and police legitimacy, especially in a non-western society.

An international study on public confidence in police

Levels of public confidence in police vary greatly internationally, yet little is known about the causes of this variation. I investigate public confidence in police and identify country-level factors that contribute to its variation cross-nationally. From Rawls’ conception of political legitimacy, I hypothesize that stable and high-level democracy increase confidence in the police, while government corruption lowers this confidence. I further hypothesize that these effects are particularly exaggerated among ethnic minority groups. Collectively, results suggest that reduction of government corruption is the most important thing any nation can do to garner public confidence in police.

Through a different lens: researching the rise and fall of New Labour's ‘public confidence agenda’

Until June 2010, public confidence in police was at the heart of the UK's police performance framework. In the preceding years, the public confidence agenda (PCA) was addressed through a diverse array of government-initiated programmes and concepts such as ‘neighbourhood policing’ and ‘reassurance policing’ that sought to enhance feelings of safety and inspire public confidence in police. Scholars, aware of the significance of fairness in police–citizen encounters and the central importance of visibility in building confidence and trust, began to examine the PCA through surveys and other quantifiable assessments of community safety to explore how cooperation and support for police could be encouraged, evaluating ‘satisfactory’ levels amongst citizens and communities and generally interrogating the ‘public confidence’ agenda. While there have been a variety of conceptual framings and methodological approaches to measure and quantify ‘public confidence’, scholars generally have located the concept of ‘public confidence’ as an objective condition; like the notion of ‘publics’, a ‘phenomenon to be achieved, rather than a concept that perhaps needs unwrapping itself’. This paper traces the origins and evolution of the PCA. In this paper we advocate the use of a policy analysis approach to explore how ‘public confidence’ surfaced as a significant policy issue during New Labour's three administrations. The paper seeks to reinsert political analysis into what has become a de-politicised and primarily methodological discussion about the measurement of such a concept. We argue that the PCA is not a collective subject that has sought to express itself universally but was been ‘called’ into existence and moulded by New Labour in order to construct a useful policy domain.

Public Confidence in Policing in the 21st Century

Public Confidence in Policing in the 21st Century

Drivers of Public Trust and Confidence in Police in the UK

The term ‘public confidence’ has become the key indicator of trust, legitimacy and consent in policing and it is this measure of confidence that has become the overarching conceptualisation of successful policing. This paper focuses on providing a greater understanding of drivers of public confidence in the police using three surveys of the same community: Community Safety Survey (N = 4,499), Victim Satisfaction Survey (N = 1,084) and the Anti-Social Behaviour Survey (N = 301). Gender and age differences were found, with females and older participants exhibiting higher confidence in policing. Non-criminal aspects of policing such as improved community cohesion and visibility were found to aid confidence. Further, crime-related policing was found to influence overall satisfaction following an incident with some crimes handled better than others (eg, burglary) and customer care needing improvement in certain areas (eg, updated information). Although this research found confidence levels to be positive overall, there was also evidence of the positive–negative asymmetry effect, where participants' confidence levels shifted following experience with the police. This paper provides further support for citizen-focused initiatives in which community focus and communication should be at the centre of strategies for improving confidence in policing.

Public Confidence in the Police: A Time-Series Analysis

Empirical analyses of the causes of public confidence in policing have been based almost entirely on cross-sectional survey data, with a consequent focus on between-group differences in levels of confidence at a single point in time. Our aim here is to introduce a time dimension to this area of investigation. Employing repeated cross-sectional survey data from the British Crime Survey, we apply time-series regression methods to show how confidence in policing changes over time for the aggregate population. Counter to cross-sectional findings, time series analyses reveal that confidence in the police is not related to aggregate worry about crime and perceptions of social cohesion, nor informal social control, but only to perceptions of crime and the property crime rate.

The Braidwood Commission reports on TASER use in Canada: an evidence‐based policy review

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review the Braidwood Commission's two reports on the use of TASER conducted energy weapons in Canada and the death of Robert Dziekanski to determine whether the Commission's conclusions and subsequent recommendations constitute sound evidence‐based public policy.Design/methodology/approachThis study analyzes Commissioner Braidwood's eight findings from the first report regarding the medical implications of the use of TASER devices by comparing those findings to the body of scientific, medical, and technical literature on the physiological effects of TASER technology. Additionally, this study reviews the potential ramifications of the Commissioner's recommendations regarding the use of TASER devices in both reports.FindingsEvidence from the existing literature does not support the Commission's findings regarding the medical risks of the use of TASER technology. Recommendations to restrict the use of TASER devices are unlikely to reduce arrest‐related deaths, but they are likely to result in increased injuries to officers and suspects. Other recommendations, including training standards, testing requirements, reporting requirements, medical assistance, and research and review, are consistent with other reviews on the use of TASER technology and are necessary and appropriate to restore public confidence in police use‐of‐force.Originality/valueThe Braidwood Commission recommendations have had an immediate impact on the policies of several police agencies in Canada, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, but this study is the first critically to review whether those recommendations constitute formulation of sound evidence‐based public policy.

Political legitimacy and public confidence in police

PurposeThis study attempts to determine how political legitimacy and regime change affect the level of public confidence in the Mexican police. The current study also aims to examine to what extent socioeconomic and attitudinal factors are associated with levels of police confidence among Mexican citizens.Design/methodology/approachThe data used in this study were obtained from two Mexican surveys conducted as part of the World Value Surveys (WVS) in 1996 and 2005. Owing to the nature of the dependent variable, a series of ordinal logistic regression analyses was employed to examine the effects of political legitimacy, regime change, attitudinal, and socioeconomic factors on public confidence in the Mexican police while controlling other relevant factors.FindingsConsistent with prior research, results confirmed that public confidence in the police was positively associated with political legitimacy (i.e. support for regime institutions and system support), happiness, life satisfaction, marital status, and religious activity. Yet, age, education, and size of the town were negatively related to public confidence.Research limitations/implicationsSince the current study used secondary data, the availability of information was limited. Only one nation was studied which limits the generalizability of the findings. Future research may attempt to study other Latin‐American nations, including Mexico, in order to address the issue of public confidence in policing on a greater scale. Further, as the police alone cannot take full credit in the public's perception of law enforcement, it is imperative that future studies also examine other government agencies (i.e. courts, prosecutors) that may lend more information on this subject.Originality/valueWhile the police and some governing agencies may not be able to change most of the factors studied in this research, they can strive to cultivate better trust among the citizenry and seek to improve quality of life in neighborhoods which may lead to greater happiness and life satisfaction factors that may then increase the level of confidence in the police.

Determinants of Citizens’ Perceptions of Police–Community Cooperation in India: Implications for Community Policing

In this study, we examine citizens’ perceptions of police–community relationships in India. More specifically, in this exploratory study, we examine the extent to which factors such as general satisfaction with police services, police professionalism, feeling of safety, and perception of police integrity all explain the public confidence in police–citizen relationships. Those who are generally satisfied with police like to work with police and view police–community relationships positively. Further, we find that those who feel police are fair in dealing with citizens, irrespective of social status, and those who feel more safe in their communities are those who are most willing to work with police.

Black Box: A Qualitative Method for Improving Public Confidence in Policing Through Micro-Analysing Service Delivery

Timothy Shilston is Chief Superintendent at Northumbria Police, UK. In his 2008 paper, the author concluded that quantitative measurements of police performance were flawed and that they should be replaced, or at least supplemented, by qualitative methods designed to analyse performance, and produce learning at an individual as well as organizational level. Following an air crash, investigators reconstruct the events which led to the failure in minute detail and plot them along a timeline. The resulting reconstruction of what happened is set alongside expectations of what should have happened at each stage, in order to establish the precise nature of the failings and to learn lessons for future application. By drawing on official records and interviewing service recipients, episodes of police service delivery can be analysed in a similar way, yielding valuable learning concerning the efficacy of organizational processes and the performance of individuals. Shortcomings in both can then be addressed, leading to higher standards of service delivery and, it is hoped, greater public confidence in policing. In this article, the author describes the qualitative assessment and performance improvement tool, which has now been piloted in a large English police force, the design of which draws on this analogy.

Feelings and Functions in the Fear of Crime: Applying a New Approach to Victimisation Insecurity

This paper presents a new definition of fear of crime that integrates two conceptual developments in this enduring field of criminological enquiry. Our measurement strategy differentiates first between specific worries and diffuse anxieties in emotional responses to crime, and second between productive and counterproductive effects on subjective well-being and precautionary activities. Drawing on data from a representative survey of seven London neighbourhoods, these distinctions are combined into an ordinal scale that moves from the ‘unworried’, to low-level motivating emotions, to frequent and dysfunctional worry about crime. We demonstrate that different categories of ‘fear’ have different correlates and explain different levels of variation in public confidence in policing. We conclude with a call for more longitudinal research to uncover the dynamic nature of fear of crime over the life course.

Trust and Confidence in the Police: A Conceptual Review

In Britain, public confidence in policing has become a short-hand for trust, legitimacy and consent. As such, the phrase tends to wrap up a set of inter-connected yet empirically and conceptually distinct notions. Yet it is important to unpack these distinct, albeit connected, ideas. At the very least we should differentiate between trust and confidence on the one hand, and legitimacy, compliance, cooperation and consent on the other hand. In this article we: (a) introduce the concept of trust and confidence in the police; (b) document historical trends in trust and confidence; and (c) outline the factors thought to influence public confidence. We aim throughout to highlight key ideas, studies and debates.