The Impact of a Crime Wave: Perceptions, Fear, and Confidence in the Police

Baker, Mary Holland; Nienstedt, Barbara C.; Everett, Ronald S.; McCleary, Richard

doi:10.4324/9781315086613-9

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…Victimization experience seemed to have a mixed impact on confidence in the police. While some studies found a significant impact of victimization experience on attitude toward the police (Baker et al, 1983;Dowler & Sparks, 2008;, other studies suggested a non-significant correlation between the two variables (Hawdon & Ryan, 2003;Smith & Hwawkins, 1973).…”

Section: Instrumental Modelmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…At a macro level, a series of studies found that crime rate was a good indicator of police effectiveness and public confidence in the police (Cao et al, 2012;Jang, Joo, & Zhao, 2010;Reisig & Parks, 2000;Skogan, 2009). In their SEM analysis of two-wave survey data in Phoenix, AZ, Baker et al (1983) found that a sudden increase of reported crime (crime wave) significantly increased the level of fear of crime and decreased public's confidence in the police. Reisig and Parks (2000) found that residents of neighborhoods with a higher homicide rate retained a lower level of satisfaction with the police.…”

Section: Instrumental Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Untangling the Complex Pathways to Confidence in the Police in South Korea: a Stepwise Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling Analysis

Park

Donnelly

et al. 2020

Asian J Criminol

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Studies on confidence in the police have employed three theoretical frameworks: (1) an instrumental model that focuses on the effect of police effectiveness and fear of crime, (2) an expressive model that emphasizes the role of general perception on social cohesion, and (3) a procedural model that highlights the distinct role of perceived police fairness. While studies have clarified specific pathways in the instrumental and expressive models, a comprehensive examination of all three models remains sparse in the field of criminal justice. Furthermore, existing studies rarely examined the multilevel causal structures of these models. This study aims to address these limitations by examining separate and comprehensive multilevel structural equation models (SEMs) of these theoretical frameworks. The data was collected through the multistage stratified random sampling from 12 boroughs of four metropolitan cities in South Korea, and a total of 2040 individuals were interviewed face-to-face. The results of the SEM analyses showed that perceived police fairness was the primary determinant of confidence in the police in South Korea, while fear of crime, perceived police effectiveness, and perceived social cohesion had a limited effect. Policy implications and suggestions for future studies are discussed.

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Section: Instrumental Modelmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Instrumental Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Untangling the Complex Pathways to Confidence in the Police in South Korea: a Stepwise Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling Analysis

Park

Donnelly

et al. 2020

Asian J Criminol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Part of the explanation to why respondents feel safer in police presence compared to security guards and police volunteers is probably that the respondents have greater confidence in the police than they do in the other uniformed groups (see, e.g., Holland Baker et al 1983;Jackson and Bradford 2009;Ren et al 2005). Another explanation could be the level of correct knowledge among respondents about what authority the uniformed groups have according to the law.…”

Section: Future Research Directionsmentioning

confidence: 94%

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

Doyle

Frogner

Andershed

et al. 2015

Eur J Crim Policy Res

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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.

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“…They concluded that police can improve attitudes toward themselves by reducing crime while protecting democratic values. Similarly, Baumer (1985) and Baker et al (1983) have linked police activities to reduced fear of crime in the USA.…”

Section: Confidence In the Policementioning

confidence: 99%

Confidence in the police and the fear of crime in the developing world

Alda

Bennett

Morabito

2017

PIJPSM

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Purpose The determinants of the fear of crime have been extensively investigated over the past three decades, yet few studies are comparative, include data from developing countries or use attitudes toward the police as explanatory variables. Understanding how perceptions of police performance influence fear of crime is essential to developing strategies which will reduce citizens’ isolation and reluctance to exert informal social control in their communities. Such lack of engagement creates opportunities for increased crime and disorder and heightens fear of crime. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach This study examines the mediating effect of perceived confidence in the police on citizens’ fear of crime in seven developing Caribbean region countries using structural equation modeling. The data were collected in a 2011 United Nations survey from representative samples in each nation. Findings The results indicate that confidence in the police plays a significant and partial mediating role in explaining fear of crime and that community- and individual-level characteristics influence the level of confidence and independently affect fear of crime as well. Originality/value This is one of the few studies that employs comparative victimization data in the Caribbean to examine the role that confidence in the police has on fear of crime. The findings of this study will contribute to fill the gap in the understanding of the drivers of fear of crime in developing countries.

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The Impact of a Crime Wave: Perceptions, Fear, and Confidence in the Police

Cited by 11 publications

References 1 publication

Untangling the Complex Pathways to Confidence in the Police in South Korea: a Stepwise Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling Analysis

Untangling the Complex Pathways to Confidence in the Police in South Korea: a Stepwise Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling Analysis

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

Confidence in the police and the fear of crime in the developing world

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