Responding to the Public during a Pandemic: Perceptions of ‘Satisfactory’ and ‘Unsatisfactory’ Policing

Abstract

As part of a substantial research project on policing the Covid-19 pandemic, a public survey was conducted in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in England. Four open-ended questions provided participants with the opportunity to produce unlimited free-text responses regarding their perception of policing during the pandemic. Responses were coded and thematically analysed to identify themes concerning public compliance and policing during the lockdown. Subthemes surrounding communication, efficiency, and equity emerged from participant’s perceptions of what they considered to be ‘satisfactory’ and ‘unsatisfactory’ forms of policing during the pandemic. A common sub-theme regarding the public’s confusion over the role of the police was countered by an acknowledgement that the police were ‘doing their best.’ The pandemic has thrown into sharper relief pre-crisis public perceptions of appropriate policing. The free-text responses highlight the ongoing tensions between normative and instrumental approaches to policing and public expectations of police actions.

Policing the COVID-19 pandemic: Police and public perceptions of enforcement of health protocols in the Fiji Islands

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Pandemic Policing and Community Engagement: Preparedness, Legitimacy and Public Support During the COVID-19 Crisis in Nigeria

“…Considerable empirical evidence has suggested that the key factor that shapes public behaviour is the fairness of the processes used by legal authorities when dealing with members of the public ( Bolger & Walters, 2019 ; Radburn & Stott, 2019 ; Tankebe, 2013 ; Terrill et al, 2016 ). In respect of policing the pandemic, studies have equally found that deploying procedurally just approaches have helped in effectively supervising COVID-19 rules ( Aborisade & Ariyo, 2022 ; Farrow, 2020 ; Ghaemmaghami, et al, 2021 ). Meanwhile, in deploying procedurally just approaches for policing the pandemic, the wider context of police-public engagement has been explored ( Ghaemmaghami, et al, 2021 ).…”

“…In respect of policing the pandemic, studies have equally found that deploying procedurally just approaches have helped in effectively supervising COVID-19 rules ( Aborisade & Ariyo, 2022 ; Farrow, 2020 ; Ghaemmaghami, et al, 2021 ). Meanwhile, in deploying procedurally just approaches for policing the pandemic, the wider context of police-public engagement has been explored ( Ghaemmaghami, et al, 2021 ).…”

‘We were the Guinea pigs’: Police uncertainty enforcing coronavirus regulations in the UK.

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