Citizen perceptions of community policing: are attitudes toward police important?

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.

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