Citizen's Needs for Information About the Police and the Police Profession - Results of a Representative Survey in North Rhine-Westphalia (From Nachwuchswerbung fuer den Polizeivollzugsdienst, P 123-142 - See NCJ-80610)

• NCJ Number: 80617
• Author(s): Naether
• Date Published: Unknown
• Length: 20 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: German
• Country: West Germany (Former)

Annotation

A representative sample of North Rhine-Westphalians (1,012 inquiries) was surveyed regarding their knowledge about the work and problems of the police information.

Abstract

The purpose of the survey was to evaluate the information and recruitment efforts undertaken by the police in recent years and to obtain data for planning further public relations campaigns. Results indicate that public feeling toward the police is ambivalent. This reflects the conflict citizens experience between their personal interests and the common good; i.e., the interests of the state. These conflicting feelings are focused on the police officer, who is perceived at the same time as a distant authority figure and a sympathetic individual. In general, the public is favorable toward the police and satisfied with their performance, although this approval is less marked among the younger generation. Most men between 14 and 29 pointedly declined personal interest in policing as a career; 8 percent, however, expressed great interest in taking up police work for reasons of its public service career status, the diversity of police activities, and its prestige and authority. Opinions about the police are realistic and derive mainly from the media. Most people are interested in being further informed about police work, recollect exposure to police information, and evaluate it favorably. Tabular data and the survey instruments are appended.