NCJ Number
195799
Date Published
2002
Length
190 pages
Annotation
This study examined what the citizens of London expect from their police and ways of bridging the gap between expectations and reality.
Abstract
Data were collected from a survey comprised of 2,800 people aged 15 and over, detailed case studies in three contrasting boroughs, and secondary analysis of borough, force-wide, and other statistics. The survey results showed that people were no more fearful of crime than 20 years ago and that the position in London had improved relative to that of other police force areas. The most frequently identified priority problems were burglary, mugging, dealing in hard drugs, violence, sexual crime, and racial attacks. The most favored solutions to problems of crime and disorder were more -- and more visible -- police officers on the beat and more community policing. A third of the people surveyed said they had been really annoyed by the way the police had behaved towards themselves or someone they knew. The main reasons for annoyance in the last 5 years were unfriendly manner, unreasonable behavior, and failure to do enough. Overall, people had less confidence in the police than in many other public services. People regularly mentioned that the police treated different groups differently. Many police were frustrated at their inability to respond to people’s needs and deliver the quality of service they expected. They blamed this on pressure to meet targets for a narrow range of crimes, and the demands of paperwork. The study concluded there was a need to develop policies that improve approaches to local consultation, improve the policing of incivilities, ensure a more visible and accessible police presence on the streets, and strengthen support for inter-agency work by the police. The first of the study’s two main conclusions is that the legacy of discrimination and over-policing continues to overshadow the relations with Black people and the danger persists of replicating similar problems with other groups. The second is that the police cannot ultimately be effective in tackling crime unless they re-engage with the public. 23 figures, 44 tables, 3 appendixes, references