NCJ Number
196231
Journal
Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management Volume: 25 Issue: 2 Dated: 2002 Pages: 256-273
Date Published
2002
Length
18 pages
Annotation
Among a sample of rural Australian police officers, this study assessed their relative accuracy in assessing crime levels in the communities they served.
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to determine whether individual or community characteristics influenced officer perceptions of crime and policing. Personal interviews were conducted in 1997 and 1998 with officers in 54 of a selected sample of 64 rural communities in New South Wales. A total of 54 officers were interviewed. Officers were asked whether the levels of crime in their communities were low, medium, or high compared with other rural New South Wales communities. The accuracy of each officer's perception was determined by comparing it with the officially reported crime in his/her jurisdiction. High accuracy was defined as perfect correspondence between an officer's perception and official rates. Low accuracy was defined as perceiving crime to be more than one category removed from the calculated category. Officers with accurate perceptions of local levels of crime liked their communities and stated that effective policing requires that an officer be accommodating to the community, be a good listener, and view the policing assignment as a 24-hour job. Lower ranking, recently assigned, and younger officers more accurately estimated local crime levels. Contrary to earlier research in selected high-crime rural Australian communities, most of the sample liked their placements. Many apparently welcomed avoiding urban police culture, at least during the earlier phases of their careers. 7 tables and 60 references