NCJ Number
211644
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 33 Issue: 5 Dated: September/October 2005 Pages: 441-449
Date Published
September 2005
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study examined Korean police officers’ perception of the effectiveness of police mini-stations in achieving police goals.
Abstract
The introduction of community policing throughout the world was implemented to increase the contacts of police with citizens, emphasize the service role of the police, decentralize the police, and expand the presence of the police in neighborhoods. During the community policing era, several countries adopted a decentralized police system, called a “mini-police station” (MPS). Since the establishment of the modern Korean police, a similar system in South Korea existed. However, its effectiveness in preventing crime and improving the relationship between citizens and the police has been criticized. In order to understand the effectiveness of mini-police stations, this study examined Korean police officers’ perception of the effectiveness of police mini-stations in achieving police goals. Data for the study were collected from a sample of three different levels of police stations in South Korea. A total of 519 questionnaires were collected from the first-level police station, 229 from the second-level police station, and 129 from the third-level police station. The results indicate that the majority of Korean officers in the sample believed that mini-police stations played crucial and positive roles. Close to 100 percent of police officers reported that the system prevented crime and improved the relationship and mutual understanding between people and the police. Future research is recommended to comprehensively measure the objective effectiveness of the mini-police station. References