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Policing and Attitudes Towards Police in Countries in Transition (From Policing in Central and Eastern Europe: Comparing Firsthand Knowledge With Experience From the West, P 45-59, 1996, Milan Pagon, ed. -- See NCJ-170291)

NCJ Number
170296
Author(s)
U Zvekic
Date Published
1996
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This paper presents some preliminary findings from the International Crime (Victim) Survey (IC[V]S) regarding (non)reporting to police and satisfaction with police for countries in transition for which data were available at the time of the writing of this paper.
Abstract

The third round (1996-97) of the survey is almost completed and includes 12 industrialized countries, 12 developing countries, and 15 countries in transition. In providing preliminary findings on citizen crime reporting and citizen satisfaction with police, this paper focuses on the crime of burglary, since it is an exemplary conventional crime with a mid- position in the crime frequency ladder, thus avoiding extremes. Compared to previous sweeps of the IC(V)S, there was an improvement in citizen crime reporting to police and in satisfaction with police work in controlling crimes; however, there is still a lot of dissatisfaction with police work, particularly in terms of the ways in which the police deal with reported cases. There is no doubt that satisfaction with the police in general and for each police performance indicator is higher in the developed world and in regions with an average higher level of affluence. Particularly in developing and Central and Eastern European countries, there is a belief in or experience with the ineffectiveness of the police that is prominent among reasons for not reporting crimes to the police. The majority of respondents in these countries showed a marked lack of confidence in law enforcement capacities, capabilities, and even willingness to serve the community. 12 tables and 14 notes