scholarly journals Police Officers’ Attitudes Toward Citizens in China

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Liu ◽  
Ivan Y. Sun ◽  
Jianhong Liu

Although a substantial number of studies have examined public attitudes toward the police, a relatively thin line of research has assessed police attitudes toward the citizenry in China. Using survey data collected from a sample of approximately 200 Chinese police officers, the current study examined the effects of police officers’ demographic characteristics, socialization and experience factors, and role orientations on officers’ attitudes toward citizen virtue, citizen cooperation with the police, and citizen input in police work. Results indicated that background and experience characteristics were ineffective in predicting the three aspects of officer attitudes toward citizens. Crime-fighting and service orientations were found to be related to officers’ attitudes toward the citizenry. Findings of this study enhance our understanding of police occupational attitudes in China and provide valuable implications for policy and future research.

Author(s):  
Jacinta M. Gau ◽  
Nicholas D. Paul

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine police officers’ attitudes toward community policing and order maintenance, as well as the facets of the work environment that impact those attitudes. Design/methodology/approach Survey data come from a sample of officers in a mid-sized police department. Ordinary least squares regression modeling is used to examine community-policing, order-maintenance and law-enforcement role orientations. Findings Officers endorse community partnerships, but are less enthusiastic about order maintenance. They also display mid-level support for traditional law enforcement. Work–environment variables have inconsistent impacts across the three role orientations. Research limitations/implications This was a survey of attitudes in one department. Future research should examine officers’ involvement in community-policing and order-maintenance activities and any impediments to such activities. Practical implications The findings have implications for police leaders seeking to implement community policing and ensure street-level officers are carrying out partnership and order-maintenance activities. In particular, top management must foster a positive work environment and personally model commitment to policing innovations. Originality/value This paper adds to the currently sparse body of literature on officer attitudes toward community policing and order maintenance, and incorporates traditional law-enforcement attitudes as a point of contrast. This paper advances the scholarly understanding of police officers’ role orientations.


Author(s):  
Ivan Y. Sun ◽  
Jianhong Liu ◽  
Yuning Wu ◽  
Maarten Van Craen

This study investigates the roles of trust in citizens and compliance with agency policies in mediating the direct and indirect relationships between internal procedural justice and external procedural justice among Chinese and Taiwanese police officers. Based on survey data collected from 1,253 police officers, this study comparatively analyzes whether supervisory treatment of officers is predictive of trust in citizens and willingness to follow agency policies, which in turn is linked to their willingness to act fairly and justly toward citizens on the street. The results indicate that officer trust in citizens mediates the relationship between internal and external procedural justice in both China and Taiwan, but compliance with agency policies does not. Internal procedural justice directly predicts external procedural justice among Taiwanese officers, but such a connection is not found among Chinese officers. Implications for future research and policy are discussed.


Author(s):  
Shelley Liu ◽  
Lening Zhang

The purpose of this study is to explore police attitudes toward the use of inappropriate force in China. Using original data from a survey of over 900 police officers in China, this study investigated patterns of officers’ attitudes toward the use of force and correlates of officer attitudes supportive of the use of inappropriate force. This study shows that a significant number of officers hold attitudes supportive of the use of inappropriate force. Regression analysis demonstrates complex relationship between police role-orientation and officers’ attitudes toward the use of inappropriate force. This study also found that police training on the use of force was not as effective as expected in shaping officers’ attitudes toward the use of force. The implication for police training is discussed in relation to findings of this study.


2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 272-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Y Sun ◽  
Yuning Wu ◽  
Jianhong Liu ◽  
Maarten Van Craen

Although the process-based model of policing has been widely tested, research on how procedural justice works within police agencies, particularly its impact on officer willingness to engage in procedurally fair behavior on the street, is relatively scant. Based on survey data collected from Chinese police officers, this study assessed the linkages between internal procedural justice and external procedural justice through the mechanisms of moral alignment with both supervisors and citizens and perceived citizen trustworthiness. Greater internal procedural justice was directly related to higher external procedural justice. Fair supervision helped build up moral alignment between officers and supervisors and between officers and citizens, which in turn led to stronger commitment to fair treatment of the public. Internal procedural justice and moral alignment with citizens also cultivated officers’ perceptions of public trustworthiness, which further strengthened officers’ fair treatment toward the public.


2016 ◽  
Vol 89 (4) ◽  
pp. 269-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangzhen Wu ◽  
Francis D Boateng ◽  
Yuan Yuan

The purpose of this paper is to examine Chinese police officers’ attitudes toward the individuals they serve and protect. Using cross-sectional data collected from 271 police officers in a Chinese police university, this paper examines the effects of officers’ perceptions of citizens’ cooperation, compliance with laws, recognition and disrespect. Chinese police officers generally have mixed feelings about citizens. While officers negatively perceived citizens’ levels of cooperation, they believed the Chinese public were law-abiding and recognised the police for their work. Results further revealed a significant relationship between officers’ attitudes and their sense of effectiveness and behaviour. Future research should include more attitudinal dimensions, such as officers’ personality traits, and examine the relationship from a longitudinal perspective. Findings provide insights for Chinese administrators to reform the police with a focus on strengthening citizen–police relationships.


2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (11) ◽  
pp. 1556-1578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinting Wang ◽  
Brittany E. Hayes ◽  
Hongwei Zhang

The purpose of the current study is to uncover whether extralegal factors play a significant role in Chinese police officers’ decision-making in response to a hypothetical incident of domestic violence (DV). Data were collected from a sample of Chinese police officers located in southwestern China. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between the attitudes and beliefs of police officers and their decision-making in DV (i.e., recommend putting suspect into custody, victim into custody, and mediation; N = 514). The results suggest extralegal factors associated with culture do exert a significant effect on police officers’ decision-making in cases of DV, but the extent may be minimal. Policy implications and directions for future research are discussed.


Author(s):  
Yuning Wu ◽  
Kai Lin ◽  
Luye Li ◽  
Xiying Wang

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine Chinese police officers’ general support for police intervention into domestic violence, emphasizing adequate protection of the victims, and specific support for utilizing arrests to deal with the offenders.Design/methodology/approachThis study relies on survey data collected from 1,064 police officers who worked in multiple areas in two provinces of China between June and July of 2019. OLS models were used to test whether organizational variables are significant predictors of officer attitudes toward domestic violence intervention.FindingsBoth agency endorsement and supervisory support are positively related to officers’ favorable attitudes toward police intervention into domestic violence and using arrests to handle offenders. The amount of training received from the agency on the recently promulgated Anti-Domestic Violence Law, however, has a negative influence on officer support for general intervention into domestic violence and no influence on officer attitudes toward arrests.Originality/valueThis study represents one of the first attempts to investigate the connections between organizational and managerial factors and Chinese officers’ support for both general and specific interventions into domestic violence. It contributes to the current literature that only included police cadets in the analysis of Chinese police attitudes toward domestic violence despite the fundamental differences between cadets and active-duty officers.


2009 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 377-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuning Wu ◽  
Ivan Y. Sun ◽  
Michael A. Cretacci

While a substantial amount of research has examined the motivation for individuals to become police officers, very little is known about why Chinese citizens choose this profession. Using survey data collected from cadets in a Chinese police college, this study attempts to answer three questions: (1) who are the people that decide to become police cadets in China; (2) what are the factors that motivate cadets to choose the police profession, and (3) how do personal characteristics influence cadets' motivations to join the force? The results indicate that Chinese cadets in the sample are largely single, young males from middle-class families. They tended to have some college education while their parents were likely to have attained a lower educational level. Job security and benefits, the opportunity to help people, the desire to enforce the law, and parental influences were important factors that motivated police cadets at this institution to join the force. Cadets' background characteristics only weakly influenced the decision. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 419-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianhong Liu ◽  
Ivan Y Sun ◽  
Yuning Wu ◽  
Yugang Chang

While the past two decades have witnessed a fast growing of policing literature in China, officers' job-related attitudes remain severely under-researched. Using survey data collected from 212 police supervisors in a major Chinese city, this study examined the patterns of Chinese police officers' occupational attitudes toward selective enforcement, legal restrictions, community policing, and use of force, and factors that influence such attitudes. About half the respondents were in favor of legal restrictions, and the majority of officers supported the notions of selective enforcement, community policing, and use of force. Male, older officers, those who had no military experience, and officers who worked at field stations favored selective enforcement than their counterparts, whereas supervisor who were younger and worked at nonfield stations were more supportive for legal restrictions. Supervisors' role orientations toward law enforcement and order maintenance influenced their preference for community policing. Implications for future research and policy were discussed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Meessen ◽  
Verena Mainz ◽  
Siegfried Gauggel ◽  
Eftychia Volz-Sidiropoulou ◽  
Stefan Sütterlin ◽  
...  

Abstract. Recently, Garfinkel and Critchley (2013) proposed to distinguish between three facets of interoception: interoceptive sensibility, interoceptive accuracy, and interoceptive awareness. This pilot study investigated how these facets interrelate to each other and whether interoceptive awareness is related to the metacognitive awareness of memory performance. A sample of 24 healthy students completed a heartbeat perception task (HPT) and a memory task. Judgments of confidence were requested for each task. Participants filled in questionnaires assessing interoceptive sensibility, depression, anxiety, and socio-demographic characteristics. The three facets of interoception were found to be uncorrelated and interoceptive awareness was not related to metacognitive awareness of memory performance. Whereas memory performance was significantly related to metamemory awareness, interoceptive accuracy (HPT) and interoceptive awareness were not correlated. Results suggest that future research on interoception should assess all facets of interoception in order to capture the multifaceted quality of the construct.


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