Abstract
This study assessed citizen attitudes toward police performance and their perceptions of policing strategy in a small, northwestern town. At the neighbourhood-level, significant differences in attitudes toward police performance (i.e. officer demeanour and citizen-police relations) were revealed; however, variations in perceptions of community policing initiatives (i.e. collaborative police-community partnerships) were not observed. At the individual-level, results showed that attitudes toward police performance were not significant determinants of citizen perceptions of community policing. This evidence suggested that citizens were receptive to the idea of co-production of order, and specifically of partnerships between residents and the police to address neighbourhood crime-related issues. As such, these findings call into question the long standing assumption that positive attitudes toward police are a necessary precursor to the establishment of meaningful, co-operative ties between citizens and the police.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 547-561 |
Number of pages | 15 |
Journal | Policing |
Volume | 21 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 1998 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Attitude surveys
- Police
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pathology and Forensic Medicine
- Public Administration
- Law