Feelings of Safety In The Presence Of the Police, Security Guards, and Police Volunteers

Abstract

Uniformed presence is commonly thought to create feelings of safety in people. However, do differently uniformed people contribute to an equal amount of safety and are there situation-dependent differences? The present study examined the association between various types of uniformed presence and people's feelings of safety through a questionnaire among 352 respondents (18-86 years) (49.1 % women). The questionnaire contained pictures of situations perceived as relatively safe and unsafe with or without uniformed presence. The respondents estimated how safe they thought they would feel in these situations with no uniformed presence, two police officers, six police officers, a police vehicle, two security guards, or two police volunteers. Results showed that uniformed presence did not increase feelings of safety in a situation perceived as relatively safe, making patrol unnecessary. In situations perceived as relatively unsafe however, all types of uniformed presence increased feelings of safety. Foot patrolling police contributed to the greatest increase in feelings of safety. Security guards and police volunteers created similar amounts of feelings of safety making police volunteers a cost-effective alternative. All types of foot patrol were better than vehicle patrol, making non-police groups an alternative to vehicle patrol. Some situational, gender, and age differences were found.

Role reflections of police reservists: a study of volunteer reserve officers in Malaysia

“…Further, as results are grounded in real-life role orientations among PVR officers, the four identified in this study may be used by the RMP administration in policy planning and implementation. For example, as we noted above, Doyle et al (2016, p. 19) found that police volunteers may be a cost-effective alternative in some social situations. This implies that, for example, PVR officers’ roles as ambassadors may be utilized when situations call for the presence of a uniformed body resulting in enhanced public confidence.…”

“…They found that “while both groups in the study are confident in their professional ability to handle issues at a policing scene, UK volunteer officers feel less confident about interviewing and administrative paperwork than their US counterparts” (Wolf et al , 2017, p. 24). Researching feelings of safety among members of the public engendered, in turn, by regular police, security guards and police volunteers, Doyle et al (2016, p. 19) found that “in situations perceived as relatively unsafe […] all types of uniformed presence increased feelings of safety” and that “security guards and police volunteers created similar amounts of feelings of safety making police volunteers a cost-effective alternative” for police agencies. In the sparse research on police volunteers discussed, almost no elucidation of their occupational roles exists, especially as perceived and elaborated on personally and reflexively.…”

Building Evidence for Health: Green Buildings, Current Science, and Future Challenges

“…In terms of security features, well-designed measures such as fences, locks, or secure entry systems have the potential to reduce fear of crime, whereas evidence is limited for closed-circuit television (CCTV), multicomponent environmental crime prevention programs, or regeneration programs (80). Perception of safety may be influenced by the presence of uniformed security guards but only in situations when safety is perceived to be inadequate without them (43). After enhanced security measures were introduced into Liverpool, tower block buildings in the United Kingdom, fear of domestic crime was reported as being much lower among residents relative to the greater population of Britain.…”

Presenting a uniformed self: Symbols of safety in police auxiliary members' perceptions

“…Although this change was initially well received by the public, police officers were subject to higher rates of physical assault while wearing the alternative uniforms; it was not until the former uniforms were reinstated that these incidents returned to their average quota (Johnson, 2013;Johnson et al, 2015). Correspondingly, when exploring public perceptions of uniforms worn by police officers and police volunteers, research shows that not only do more members of the public successfully identify a police officer in contrast to a police volunteer (Rowland and Coupe, 2014), but also that members of the public feel safer in the presence of police officers than police volunteers (Balkin and Houlden, 1983;Doyle et al, 2016;Rowland and Coupe, 2014).…”