NCJ Number
226510
Journal
International Journal of Police Science & Management Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Dated: Winter 2008 Pages: 464-473
Date Published
2008
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study questioned 112 children (64 girls and 48 boys) from 5 primary schools in a metropolitan area of Australia, in order to determine their perceptions of the role of police and the nature of their prior experiences with police; implications are drawn for police relations with children, particularly in the context of a forensic interview.
Abstract
The findings indicate that children view police as primarily responsible for detecting bad behavior and punishing people who engage in it. In this role police are viewed as engaged in arresting criminals, shooting their guns, and killing and hurting people. This punitive theme associated with police was primary regardless of children’s prior experience with police, their age, and whether they could recall television shows about police. Other research has established that the greater the perceived authority of a person (authority being associated with fear of punishment), the more likely a child is to acquiesce in the perceived demands of that person or accept false information that is suggested by the person. Misunderstandings about the professional’s role and the nature of the relationship can also be detrimental to the establishment of rapport between the child and interviewer, which is essential for maximizing the accuracy and detail of children’s reports of events. Unfortunately, the adverse implications of children’s perceptions of police as punitive is not likely to be modified in the course of a given forensic interviews. More realistic views of the police as providers of help and supportive services must result from innovative and widespread partnerships between police organizations and schools/media organizations. Changing children’s perceptions of the police role is also likely to require widespread acknowledgement among officers that their interactions with children must not overemphasize the punitive role. 2 tables and 27 references