The use of public attitude surveys: what can they tell police managers?

Abstract

In recent times, police policy makers have been encouraged to use public opinion surveys to identify, and target the allocation of resources to, activities that members of the public believe are important. However, these surveys have concentrated on the types of problems that the public would like addressed, and have not determined what types of activities they would prefer the police to be undertaking. In the present study, a comprehensive list of police activities formed the basis of a survey used to examine attitudes toward police priorities in Australia. Comparisons were made between police and public understanding of the police role, and between present and preferred priorities. The results suggest that the public has an understanding of policing which differs from that of police officers. However, the picture of what they want police to be doing is similar to that of the police, albeit giving higher priorities to almost all of the activities. Police managers may need to educate the public about the functions of the police service, emphasizing functions other than investigating crime and providing advice. At the same time, the police may need to alter their resource allocation and modify organizational structure and reward systems to encourage operational officers to be more involved in the activities that the public see as high priority. This should result in better ties with the community, a better understanding within the community of the police role, and more realistic expectations on both sides of the outcomes of policing. Public perceptions of the police roleTwo recent reviews of community attitude surveys highlighted the fact that very few studies of public perceptions of the police role are reported in the This research was supported by the police departments of Australia and New Zealand and the Australian Federal Attorney-General's Department. The authors would like to thank Carlene Wilson and two anonymous reviewers for their suggestions for earlier drafts of this paper.

Expectations of and satisfaction with the South African police service in the Rustenburg area

“…Beck et al, 1999). According to Beck et al (1999), responding to emergencies were rated as the highest present and preferred police activity by both the public and the police elsewhere in the world.…”

“…Following Beck et al (1999), parallel forms of the Public Attitude Survey (PAS) were developed to measure both the public's and the police's perceptions and expectations of police events. For the purpose of this study, 38 police activities were selected to cover the major police functions of crime prevention, peacekeeping and service provision.…”

“…In the first instance these should focus on the discrepancies between current and preferred priorities of police activities. Secondly, it is necessary to determine the level of consensus between the police and the public's expectations about the appropriate role for police, since consensus is essential if the co-operative effort of community policing is to be effective (Beck et al, 1999). Beck et al (1999) noted that there was no research determining the public's understanding of current police priorities, and almost no research examining how police officers perceive their role and what they believe their role should be.…”

“…This includes attitudes toward community policing (expectations and perceptions), fear of retaliation and poor pre-existing relations between the police and neighbourhood residents. According to Beck, Boni and Packer (1999), police members should become more aware of the critical role of public perceptions of and experiences with the police in any determination of police effectiveness.…”

“…JACKSON confidence in the police, but also into the correlates of their confidence (Hero & Durand, 1985). Lastly, to be able to consult effectively with the community, police members should have a good understanding of what the public think they as police are currently doing and what they (the public) would prefer the police to do (Beck et al, 1999).…”