Police Response to Burglary: Victims' Perceptions in Prague

Abstract

Police structures and everyday practices inCentral and Eastern Europe have changed dramatically in recent years, but changes have varied both in terms if the countries involved and in terms if the particular feature if the police system under review. This paper focuses on one dty, Prague, and considers the ways in which the police deal withcrime victims, sped.fically victims ifburglary. The findings are compared with an earlier study in Poland, Hungary, Germany and England. The police are the main agency with which burglary victims are involved, and the service they provide is important, not least because clear-up rates are low. It was, thereiore, reassuring tofind that victims were generally positive about the way the police dealt with their cases. This is very different from the situation in Poland, where victims were far more critical. However, those victims who were most qffected or worried about crime were least positive, suggesting that there is a link between perceptions if police work and perceptions if the crime situation. A comparison between the Czech Republic and Poland also suggests that relatively minor changes to police practices may improve victims' experiences and thereby theirevaluation ifpolice work.

Attitudes About the Police and Neighborhood Safety in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods

“…It is important to realize that changing attitudes about the police does not have to be difficult (Mawby, Brabcova, & Koubova, 2002). Just as some college professors can improve their student evaluations by changing their demeanor toward their students, law enforcement officers can change the perceptions victims have toward them through changes in their demeanor.…”