NCJ Number
225714
Journal
Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management Volume: 31 Issue: 4 Dated: 2008 Pages: 578-595
Date Published
2008
Length
18 pages
Annotation
The purpose of this study was to examine the various factors that influence people’s attitudes toward the police in Canada.
Abstract
Consistent with most of the literature on attitudes toward the police, young people, visible minorities, those who perceived their neighborhoods as having high levels of crime, those who had been victims of crime, and those who were not satisfied with their levels of safety were found to hold negative views of the police. Citizens’ opinions of the police are important indicators of how well the police are performing their duties and can help to shape police practice as well as public policy. In order to provide a better understanding of citizen attitudes toward the police in Canada, this study examined a variety of factors that have been deemed important in shaping people’s attitudes in other countries, especially the United States. Data used in this study were obtained from the 1999 General Social Survey conducted by Statistics Canada between February and December 1999. Figures, tables, and references