scholarly journals Police legitimacy in context: an exploration of “soft” power in police custody in England

Author(s):  
Layla Skinns ◽  
Lindsey Rice ◽  
Amy Sprawson ◽  
Andrew Wooff

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how police authority – in its “soft” form – is used and understood by staff and detainees in police custody in England, examining how these meanings are shaped by this unique police setting. It is argued that the nature of this setting, as fraught and uncertain, along with the large volume of citizens who come into contact with the police therein, makes police custody the ultimate “teachable moment”. Design/methodology/approach The present paper is based on in-depth qualitative data collected between March 2014 and May 2015 in four custody suites (in four forces). In each site, the researchers spent three to four weeks observing and then interviewed 10-15 staff (largely police officers, detention officers but also a few other criminal justice practitioners) and 10-15 detainees. In total, the paper is based on 532 hours of observing and 97 interviews (47 with staff and 50 with detainees). Findings One way that the staff used their authority in the custody suites in the research was softly and innocuously; this entailed for example staff communicating in a respectful manner with detainees, such as by being deliberately polite. The authors conclude that this “soft” power was a dynamic, processual matter, shaped in particular by the physical conditions of the suite, the uncertain and insecure nature of detainees’ circumstances, as well as by the sense of disempowerment they felt as a result of being deprived of their liberty and autonomy, all of which contributed to police custody being the ultimate “teachable moment”. Originality/value The paper draws on a range of qualitative data collected from both staff and detainees in four types of police custody suites as part the “good” police custody study. It therefore makes an original contribution to the field which has tended to rely on cross-sectional surveys of citizens not policed populations (Harkin, 2015; Worden and Mclean, 2017).

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachael Rief ◽  
Samantha Clinkinbeard

PurposeThe purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between officer perceptions of fit in their organization and stress (organizational and operational), overall job satisfaction and turnover contemplation (within the last 6 months).Design/methodology/approachThe authors used cross-sectional survey data from a sample of 832 officers from two Midwest police departments to examine the relationships between fit, stress and work-related attitudes.FindingsPerceived stress and organizational fit were strong predictors of overall job satisfaction and turnover contemplation; organizational fit accounted for the most variation in stress, satisfaction and turnover contemplation. Organizational stress partially mediated the relationship between organizational fit and job satisfaction and organizational fit and turnover contemplation.Research ImplicationsMore research is needed to identify predictors of organizational fit perceptions among police officers.Practical implicationsFindings indicate that agencies should pay close attention to the organizational culture and structure when trying to address issues of officer well-being and retention. Further, the person−environment framework can be a useful tool in examining police occupational outcomes.Originality/valueThe authors findings contribute to research on officer stress by exploring perceptions of organizational fit as a predictor of stress and unpacking how officer stress matters to important work outcomes, including job satisfaction and thoughts of turnover, by considering stress as a mediator between organizational fit and these work outcomes.


Author(s):  
Anthony G. Vito ◽  
Elizabeth L. Grossi ◽  
Vanessa Woodward Griffin ◽  
George E. Higgins

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to apply focal concerns theory as a theoretical explanation for police officer decision making during a traffic stop that results in a consent search. The study uses coefficients testing to better examine the issue of racial profiling through the use of a race-specific model. Design/methodology/approach The data for this study come from traffic stops conducted by the Louisville Police Department between January 1 and December 31, 2002. Findings The results show that the three components of focal concerns theory can explain police officer decision making for consent searches. Yet, the components of focal concerns theory play a greater role in stops of Caucasian male drivers. Research limitations/implications The data for this study are cross-sectional and self-reported from police officers. Practical implications This paper shows the utility of applying focal concerns theory as a theoretical explanation for police officer decision making on consent searches and how the effects of focal concerns vary depending on driver race. Social implications The findings based on focal concerns theory can provide an opportunity for police officers or departments to explain what factors impact the decision making during consent searches. Originality/value This is the first study (to the researchers’ knowledge) that examines the racial effects of focal concerns on traffic stop consent searchers using coefficients testing.


Author(s):  
Steven Jay Cuvelier ◽  
Di Jia ◽  
Cheng Jin

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between Chinese police cadets’ background, motivations and educational perceptions and their attitudes toward common police roles. Design/methodology/approach – Self-administered questionnaires were collected from 382 Chinese police cadets. Based upon predisposition and socialization theories, personal background, career motivation and attitudes toward education were examined as statistical explanations of cadets’ attitudes toward order maintenance, preventative patrol, law enforcement, and community building as elements of the police role. Findings – Cadets who recognized more value in their practical and academic education also significantly favored the transitional and contemporary police roles (preventative patrol, law enforcement, and community building), which are taught as part of their college curriculum. But educational perceptions had no effect on order maintenance, which is a more historical role, and not emphasized by the police college. Cadets from lower SES backgrounds and those receiving outside influence to select a policing career tended to support traditional police roles whereas cadets with a relative in policing tended to show greater support for contemporary policing roles. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited by being a cross-sectional study of a single police college. Future studies should incorporate a longitudinal element to follow the perceptions of cadets from their school experience into the policing profession and should be conducted in other settings to assess generalizability. Practical implications – The impact of higher education on police cadets appears to be better measured as a function of their perceived importance of education (engagement) rather than measuring their exposure to it. The effectiveness of police training and education may be enhanced by adopting teaching methods that better engage learners. Social implications – Better alignment between police officers’ attitudes toward their roles and duties and contemporary police standards and practices will assure more effective and responsible police action and delivery of police services to the community. Originality/value – This study is among the first to demonstrate that Cadets who hold higher regard for practical and academic education are significantly better aligned to the policing roles emphasized by their educational program.


2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gillian Ragsdell ◽  
Allan Jepson

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a British Academy funded project that investigated the knowledge sharing activities of volunteers within three Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) festivals. Design/methodology/approach – Three case study festivals were selected based on factors such as longevity and size. Rich qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews with volunteers in key festival roles and focus groups with a range of other volunteers. Findings – A range of inhibitors and enablers to sharing festival knowledge were identified, some of which have not yet featured in the knowledge management (KM) literature. Riege's categorisation of individual, organisational and technological barriers to knowledge sharing was used to frame discussion of the findings. Research limitations/implications – Volunteer-led festivals are a novel context for knowledge sharing research yet the principles of volunteer working and the project-based approach to most festivals means they are a fertile arena for lessons in KM. Practical implications – Insights into knowledge sharing activities were generated from this study which could improve KM practices in festivals. They included the use of the master-apprentice model, raising the value of post-project reviews and designing festival layout with knowledge sharing in mind. Originality/value – The study of knowledge sharing is an original contribution to the field of event management.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Kashif ◽  
P.M.P Fernando ◽  
S.I. Wijenayake

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of patriotism, nostalgia, drama and excitement of the game, and interest in star players to predict fans’ intentions to follow one-day cricket in near future. Furthermore, social influence is positioned as a moderator to enrich the understanding of fans’ motives to follow one-day cricket. Design/methodology/approach The data are collected by means of a cross-sectional survey conducted among 609 university students enroled in Pakistani and Sri Lankan universities. The collected data are analysed by employing a structural equation modelling procedures to reach meaningful conclusions. Findings The variables of patriotism, nostalgic associations, excitement and drama of the game, and interest in star players are found to positively relate to the fans’ intentions to follow one-day cricket in near future. However, the moderating effects of social influence only moderated with interest in star players, which has practical and theoretical implications. Originality/value The study is an original contribution to the field of sports marketing. The proposed relationships are based on social identity theory paradigm. Furthermore, the moderating effects of social influence and a multi-country data are unique to this study. Finally, in previous studies, football fans’ motivation and test-match cricket fans’ motivations are studied, hence one-day cricket as a context is also unique to this study.


Author(s):  
Karoline Ellrich

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the link between burnout and violent victimization in terms of physical assaults in patrol police officers. A burnout-victimization model is proposed assuming emotional exhaustion and depersonalization to be associated with violent victimization via different mechanisms. Design/methodology/approach The study entails a cross-sectional survey of 1,742 German patrol police officers who reported 4,524 police encounters. The paper employs a binary logistic multilevel structural equation modeling approach to test the proposed model. Findings In line with the hypotheses, emotional exhaustion was found to reduce police officers’ self-protecting behavior, which in turn heightened their risk of victimization. Depersonalization was positively linked to a favorable attitude toward violence, which was linked to violent victimization but only to a small extent. Further analyses yielded an additional direct pathway from emotional exhaustion to victimization. Research limitations/implications The main limitations include the cross-sectional design of the study and the lack of including police officers’ own aggressive and violent behavior. Multimethod studies also using observational data of police-citizen interactions would be desirable in future studies. Originality/value This study is one of the first investigating the burnout-victimization link in police officers. By proposing and examining two different pathways, it further enhances the understanding of the underlying mechanisms.


Author(s):  
Jessica C.M. Li ◽  
Ivan Sun

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess senior citizens’ satisfaction with police in Hong Kong. It is intended to answer four research questions: are older citizens satisfied with Hong Kong’s police? Do older citizens coming from different communities with variations in income and crime rates differ from other older citizens in their assessments of the police? to what extent can the respondents’ instrumental, expressive, and legitimacy concerns predict their satisfaction with the police? And is there variation in the predictive power of different kinds of concerns (instrumental, expressive, and legitimacy) on respondents’ satisfaction with fairness, integrity, and effectiveness (respectively)? Design/methodology/approach – Findings of the study were based on survey interviews a sample of 1,061 elderly people aged 65 or above in 2013. A multiple-step sampling method was used to collected data from four types of communities according to the household income level of the residents and the community fraud crime rate. Findings – The paper provides empirical insights about how senior citizens rate their level of satisfaction toward the police. Chinese elderly people’s assessment on the police is found connected with their instrumental, expressive, and legitimacy concerns as well as their educational attainment. Research limitations/implications – Several limitations were acknowledged. First, the self-reported data in this study contained bias because of possible distortion in memory. Second, the cross-sectional data used in this study means that causal inferences are difficult to make. Third, the findings from the study have a limited generalizability because data were collected from a small and non-random sample. Practical implications – Since better educated senior citizens are found more critical when rating police effectiveness in fighting crime, police officers may need to think of suitable channels to understand the expectations of the better educated elderly people and to absorb their ideas for improving policing practice. Originality/value – This study is probably the first attempt of assessing the satisfaction with police of a specific target group, i.e. senior citizens in Hong Kong.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Parnaby ◽  
Ryan Broll

PurposeMost research on trauma, resilience and well-being among police officers focusses on those still on active duty. Comparatively speaking, and despite an aging workforce and established negative health outcomes, similar inquiries involving police retirees are not as common. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of on- and off-the-job trauma and resilience on satisfaction with life among a sample of retired police officers.Design/methodology/approachData were collected via a cross-sectional nonprobability electronic survey of police retirees in Ontario, Canada. While controlling for employment-related variables and demographic characteristics, a series of hierarchical multiple regression models were used to examine the effects of on- and off-the-job trauma and resilience on satisfaction with life among a sample of 932 participants.FindingsThe analysis indicates that off-the-job trauma and both personal and social dimensions of resilience contribute uniquely to satisfaction with life among police retirees. Moreover, this full model explains nearly 37% of the variance in satisfaction with life.Originality/valueThis study's findings offer further direction to those working to support the health and well-being of officers currently on the job and those well into their retirement years.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adya Hermawati ◽  
Eden Gunawan

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the adaptation process of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to volatile environment supported with learning, knowledge and innovation. Design/methodology/approach This study used an inductive approach to analyse qualitative data obtained from an SME operating in the international market. Various data collection methods, including interview, focus group discussion and observation, were used to allow the researchers to undertake triangulation. Findings This study demonstrates that managers should be eager to adjust their innovation to a changing environment and continually update pre-determined plans. Learning is an ongoing process required for innovation, requiring up-to-date support from knowledge produced via learning. For this reason, learning is required in all dynamic capability processes. Research limitations/implications The single case study design offers deep and detailed insights regarding the process of how firms create innovation based on learning in an uncertain environment. Future research could investigate whether the findings of this study are generalisable using a large number of subjects and a cross-sectional method. Originality/value This study offers insight to relatively empirical evidence on how firms respond and adjust to volatile environment using an integrative perspective covering learning, knowledge and innovation. In addition, this offers insight regarding how knowledge can be developed based on learning from the environment and converted into innovation through dynamic capabilities.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamaliah Said ◽  
Md. Mahmudul Alam ◽  
Zulyanti Abdul Karim ◽  
Razana Juhaida Johari

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to conduct an empirical analysis of the factors that determine the occupational fraud behavior. Design/methodology/approach This study utilizes primary data collected by a questionnaire-based survey on 186 police officials of Malaysia including Sabah and Sarawak. Data are analyzed using descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and cross-sectional regression. Findings The results derived in the study showed a statistically significant positive relationship between three basic variables of the fraud theory – pressure, opportunity, and rationalization with asset misappropriation. Moreover, this study revealed that religiosity is statistically significantly and negatively correlated to asset misappropriation. Therefore, the higher religiosity of an individual correlates with the lower probability involve in asset misappropriation. Practical implications The findings will help Anti-Corruption Commission, Enforcement Agency of Integrity Commission, Police Department, and relevant agencies from Malaysia and other countries to design policies for reducing cases of fraudulent behavior. Originality/value This study is an original work based on the primary data collection.


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