Citizen Focused Policing – Rapid Evidence Assessment on Public Expectations and Tolerance

Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) of 34 studies on public-initiated (voluntary) contact with the police.

Findings suggest that, in general, most people contact the police to report a crime, and most contact is made via non-emergency phone lines.

People are most likely to be satisfied with the contact experience if the police contact representative is friendly, exhibits effort, and shows interest in the case.

The actual response time, especially when discrepant from expected response time, seems to predict satisfaction with the contact experience. The amount of information provision (e.g., regarding case progress) and certain demographic variables (age, ethnicity) may also be related to satisfaction. Gaps in the literature include barriers to initiating contact, and robust intervention or longitudinal research.

Evidence

Study Author(s) Country Year Study Method Source
Assessing Police-Community Relations in Pasadena, California. Los Angeles; New York: Police Assessment Resource Center; Vera Institute of Justice. Bobb, M. J., Buchner, B. R., DeBlieck, S., Jacobson, M. P., Henderson, N. J., & Ortiz, C. W. US 2006 Survey Link
Barriers to Seeking Police Help for Intimate Partner Violence. Journal of Family Violence, 18(2), 121-129. Wolf, M. E., Ly, U., Hobart, M. A., & Kernic, M. A. US 2003 Focus groups Link
Citizen Satisfaction with Police Encounters. Police Quarterly, 8(3), 298-321. Skogan, W. G. US 2005 Survey Link
Community Attitudes Survey Bulletin January – December 2001. Belfast: Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency. Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency UK 2002 Survey Link
Contacting the Police - Customer Satisfaction Survey Final Report. London: Office of Public Services Reform. MORI UK 2003 Survey Search
Contacts between police and the public, 2005. Washington, DC: US Dept. of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Durose, M. R., Smith, E. L., & Langan, P. A. US 2007 Survey Link
Crime in England and Wales 2002/2003: Supplementary Volume 2: Crime, Disorder and the Criminal Justice System-Public Attitudes and Perceptions. London: Home Office. Development and Statistics Directorate. Nicholas, S., & Walker, A. UK 2004 Survey Link
Ethnic minorities' experience of crime and policing: findings from the 2000 British Crime Survey. London: Home Office. Research, Development and Statistics Directorate. Clancy, A., Hough, M., & Aust, R. UK 2001 Survey Search
Expectations of, and satisfaction with, the South African police service in the North West Province. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 29(2), 211-225. Rothmann, S. South Africa 2001 Survey Link
Global and specific attitudes toward the police: Disentangling the relationship. Justice Quarterly, 11(1), 119-134. Brandl, S. G., Frank, J., Worden, R. E., & Bynum, T. S. US 1994 Survey Link
Immigrants and Law Enforcement: A Comparison of Native-Born and Foreign-Born Americans' Opinions of the Police. International Review of Victimology, 14(1), 81-94. Davis, R. C., & Hendricks, N. J. US 2007 Survey Search
In defense of citizen evaluations as performance measures. Urban Affairs Quarterly, 22(1), 66-83. Percy, S. L. US 1986 Survey Link
Managing Citizen Calls to the Police: the Impact of Baltimore's 3-1-1 Call System. Criminology & Public Policy, 2(1), 97-124. Mazerolle, L., Rogan, D., Frank, J., Famega, C., & Eck, J. E. US 2002 Intervention Link
Perfect Victims, Perfect Policing? Improving Rape Complainants' Experiences of Police Investigations. Public Administration, 86(3), 699-719. Jordan, J. New Zealand 2008 Qualitative interviews Link
Plus Ca Change: Reporting Rape in the 1990s. British Journal of Criminology, 37(4), 507-528. Temkin, J. UK 1997 Qualitative interviews Link
Police call management. An initial review. Edinburgh: Audit Scotland. Audit Scotland UK 2007 Survey Link
Police Complaints and the Complainants' Experience. British Journal of Criminology, 40(4), 617-638. Waters, I., & Brown, K. UK 2000 Survey Link
Police-citizen contact and police performance Attitudinal differences between Hispanics and non-Hispanics. Journal of Criminal Justice, 28(4), 325-336. Cheurprakobkit, S. US 2000 Survey Link
Policing and the criminal justice system–public confidence and perceptions: findings from the 2004/05 British Crime Survey. London: Home Office. Allen, J., Edmonds, S., Patterson, A., & Smith, D. UK 2006 Survey Link
Policing and the Public: Findings from the 1998 British Crime Survey. London: Home Office, Research, Development and Statistics Directorate. Yeo, H., & Budd, T. UK 2000 Survey Link
Policing and the public: findings from the 2000 British Crime Survey. Home Office, Research, Development and Statistics Directorate. Sims, L., & Myhill, A. UK 2001 Survey Link
Policing for London: Report of an Independent Study Funded by the Nuffield Foundation, the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. London: Willan Publishing. FitzGerald, M., & Hough, M. UK 2002 Survey Link
Policy promise: community policing and domestic violence victim satisfaction. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 20(3), 519 - 531. Martin, M. E. US 1997 Survey Link
Prior Police Contact and Subsequent Victim Reporting: Results from the NCVS. Justice Quarterly, 23(4), 481-501.   Xie, M., Pogarsky, G., Lynch, J. P., & McDowall, D. US 2006 Longitudinal Link
Public opinions of the police: The influence of friends, family, and news media. New York: Vera Institute of Justice. Miller, J., Davis, R. C., Henderson, N. J., Markovic, J., & Ortiz, C. W. US 2003 Longitudinal Link
Public Satisfaction with Police Contact. Part II: Self-Initiated Contacts. Findings from the 2002-03 ACPR National Survey of Community Satisfaction with Policing (p. 6). Australia: Australasian Centre for Policing Research. Sced, M. Australia 2004 Survey Link
Public satisfaction with the police in domestic violence cases: The importance of arrest, expectations, and involuntary contact. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 28(2), 235-254. Wilson, S., & Jasinski, J. US 2004 Survey Link
Reporting Rape in London: A Qualitative Study. Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 38(1), 17-41. Temkin, J. UK 1999 Qualitative interviews Link
Scottish Crime And Victimisation Survey: Main Findings. Edinburgh: Scottish Government Social Research. Brown, M., & Bolling, K. UK 2006 Survey Link
The Effects of Expectancy Disconfirmation on Outcome Satisfaction in Police-Citizen Encounters. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 24(1), 88-99. Reisig, M. D., & Chandek, M. S. US 2001 Survey Link
The Influence of Police Actions on Victim Satisfaction in Burglary Investigations. International Journal of the Sociology of Law, 27(4), 413-431. Coupe, T., & Griffiths, M. UK 1999 Survey Link
The police response to calls from the public. London: Home Office. Ekblom, P., & Heal, K. UK 1982 Survey Link
Trust in the law: Encouraging public cooperation with the police and courts. New York: Russell Sage Foundation Publications. Tyler, T. R., & Huo, Y. J. US 2002 Survey Search
Victim-witness services and the needs of the victim. Victimology, 8, 233-7. Shapland, J. UK 1983 Longitudinal Search

Analysis - 34 studies

If possible, create a .

Age of Study

Over 10 years - 15.00 (44.1 %) 6-10 years - 15.00 (44.1 %) 3-5 years - 4.00 (11.8 %)

Country of Origin

New Zealand - 1.00 (2.9 %) South Africa - 1.00 (2.9 %) Australia - 1.00 (2.9 %) UK - 16.00 (47.1 %) US - 15.00 (44.1 %)

Study Method

Focus groups - 1.00 (2.9 %) Intervention - 1.00 (2.9 %) Qualitative interviews - 3.00 (8.8 %) Survey - 26.00 (76.5 %) Longitudinal - 3.00 (8.8 %)

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08 February 2012 17:57 • Matrix Evidence Web Archive v2012.3005