Police visibility, trust in police fairness, and collective efficacy: A multilevel Structural Equation Model

Areas high in collective efficacy – where residents know and trust one another and are willing to intervene to solve neighbourhood problems – tend to experience less crime. Policing is thought to be one antecedent to collective efficacy, but little empirical research has explored this question. Using three waves of survey data collected from London residents over three consecutive years, and multilevel Structural Equation Modelling, this study tested the impact of police visibility and police–community engagement on collective efficacy. We explored direct effects as well as indirect effects through trust in police. The findings showed levels of police visibility predicted trust in police. Trust in police fairness, in turn, predicted collective efficacy. There was a small indirect relationship between police visibility and collective efficacy, through trust in police fairness. In other words, police presence in neighbourhoods was associated with more positive views about officer behaviour, which in turn was associated with collective efficacy. The findings have important implications for policies designed to build stronger, more resilient communities.

Race and support for police use of force: Findings from the UK

The use of force is arguably the defining feature of police. Yet this power is often controversial: a key node in the contest and debate that almost always swirls around police, with the question of race never far from such contestation. In this paper, we consider the influence of race in responses to use of force incidents among British-based samples. Using two text-based vignette experiments and one video study, our aims are threefold: (1) to explore the influence of suspect race in how people respond to police use of force; (2) to test the interaction between participant ethnicity and suspect race; and (3) to understand what attitudes and beliefs influence how people respond to police use of force. We found no effect of suspect race on how people judged police use of force. White participants were slightly more accepting of police use of force than black participants, but there was no interaction with suspect race. The strongest predictor of acceptance of police use of force was trust in police, and, controlling for other relevant predictors, racial prejudice was also a significant positive predictor of acceptance of use of force. To our knowledge this is the first study of its kind to be fielded in the UK.

On the Anniversary of V.V. Chernikov: On the Need for the Consolidation of the Presumption of Trust in Police in the Federal Law On Police

In the presented article, the author shares his personal experience of working in the group on the development of the draft Federal Law “On Police” under the guidance of Valery Vasilyevich Chernikov, Doctor of Law, Professor, Honored Lawyer of the Russian Federation. As an example of the highest professionalism of the hero of the anniversary, the author presents the organization of the work with the so-called presumption of trust in the police.

Understanding Knife Crime and Trust in Police with Young People in East London

We explore young people’s experiences and perceptions of knife crime, and we compare these to the understanding of police experts, to explore the perceptions shaping trust in the police and policing. We carry out an experience sampling survey deployed using a mobile application reflecting on safety and knife crime, to understand young people’s daily lived experiences. We then use the mental models approach to interview young people and police experts and construct a shared mental model which identifies mismatches between the two groups and key areas of discord related to breakdown of trust and communication. We identify gaps, misconceptions and expectations for re-establishing trust and propose strategies to tackle knife crime and improve trust between young people and the police.

Police bias and diminished trust in police: a role for procedural justice?

PurposeSince 9/11, Muslims have experienced discrimination and scrutiny from authorities. For many, this experience has damaged their trust in law enforcement and left them with the impression that they are viewed as suspect. This study seeks to better understand the relationship between Muslims' perceived police bias and trust, and how procedural justice may shape this relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected survey data from 398 Muslims in Sydney, Australia, as part of a larger study on immigrants' views of police. Participants were surveyed on a range of topics including contact with police, global assessments of police procedural justice and how they believe police treat their cultural group.FindingsOverall, the authors find that the extent to which people perceive police bias is associated with their level of trust in police. Greater preconceived bias is associated with lower trust in police. The authors also find that perceiving police as procedurally just is positively related to trust. Importantly, this study finds a significant interaction effect between perceptions of police bias and procedural justice on Muslims' trust in police. Specifically, for those who hold the view that police are unbiased, perceiving police as generally procedural just has a strong positive effect on trust. For those who view police as biased against Muslims, procedural justice has a weak but positive effect on trust. This interaction effect suggests that perceived bias may shape how Muslims interpret police treatment of Muslims.Originality/valueThis study is the first to explore how perceived police bias and perceptions of procedural justice predict and interact to shape Muslims' trust in police, advancing existing procedural justice policing scholarship.

Theoretical and Methodological Feasibility of Research Aimed at the Investigation of the Development of Interpersonal Trust in Police Officers

В статье дается теоретико-методологическое обоснование исследований установок на межличностное доверие у сотрудников органов внутренних дел. Доверие сотрудников полиции к другим людям, в отличие от доверия общества полиции, редко является предметом научного интереса. Недостаток исследований привел к необходимости обратиться к анализу работ, связанных с доверием представителей других правоохранительных органов (прежде всего, сотрудников уголовно-исполнительной системы), а также представителей гражданских профессий типа «человек — человек». Анализ показал значимость обучения в вузе как периода формирования профессионально значимых установок на межличностное доверие и недоверие. Выявлено, что средний уровень межличностного доверия является оптимальным и способствует повышению эффективности оперативно-служебной деятельности. Показано, что уровень межличностного доверия коррелирует с положительно оцениваемыми характеристиками коммуникативной компетенции: демократическим стилем управления, коммуникативной толерантностью и эмпатией. Изучены факторы формирования установок на доверие у сотрудников органов внутренних дел: объективные закономерности межличностного восприятия, особенности личности, внешности и поведения воспринимаемого субъекта, личностные особенности самого сотрудника. Описана методологическая база исследования межличностного доверия сотрудников органов внутренних дел. The article accounts for the theoretical and methodological feasibility of the research aimed at the investigation of the development of interpersonal trust in police officers. Unlike people’s trust in police, police officers’ trust in other people is highly underinvestigated. We therefore deem it necessary to analyze works investigating other law enforcement officials’ credibility (especially corrections officers’ credibility) and civilians’ credibility. The analysis shows that interpersonal trust as a foundation of professional relationships is largely shaped in the process of acquiring higher education. The article maintains that interpersonal trust is an essential prerequisite for efficient operational service. It shows that the level of interpersonal trust correlates with socially valid communication skills, democratic management style, communicative tolerance, empathy. The article investigates the factors that facilitate the development of trust in police officers: principles of interpersonal perception, police officers’ individual character traits, other people’s character traits, outer looks and behavioral patterns. It describes the methodological foundation of research of interpersonal trust in police officers.