How Policing Can Reduce Feelings of Insecurity

AuthorsDrs. Karin Lasthuizen, Free University, AmsterdamDrs. Ben van Eeuwijk, Police Force Gooi & Vechtstreek, Hilversum Professor Dr. Leo Huberts, Free University, Amsterdam

Police and the Community

Our Presentation:- The Netherlands And Its Police- Our research- Implications for Policing Strategy

Police and the Community

The Netherlands And

Its Police

Police and the Community

Police and the Community

Output oriented policing

police action reduction in crime reduction of feelings of insecurity

The Research

Police and the Community

Research:

- What do we know already? Literaturestudy- A theoretical model- An operationalised model to measure with quantitative analysis- Outcome- Conclusions

The Research

Police and the Community

Police-Acting,

- -

Crime feelings of+ insecurity

  +

- -the Neighborhood

The ResearchThe Model

Police Acting does contribute to reduction feelings of insecurity. The question how is to be split into two categories.

Police and the Community

The ResearchConclusions

1.  Occurrences take place within the personal residence area, allowing the public to be personally confronted with it. The public expects the police to provide protection, react to the problems do their best and deal with matters efficiently (‘in the spirit of the neighborhood’). Police acting is a dissatisfier. If they do what the public expects, then in normal circumstances this is no reason to feel any safer. However if they do not live up to expectations, then this is a reason to feel less safe. This creates the perception that you cannot rely on the police when you need them.

Police and the Community

The ResearchConclusions

2.    Occurrences take place outside the personal residence area therefore the public are almost never personally confronted with the problem. Such occurrences are considered as a potential danger and a collective threat for the community and they evoke feelings of unrest among the public. In this case, the public demand that the police undertake harsh measures against the criminals who cause these occurrences. Police acting is a satisfier. The more the police live up to the expectations (tough approach), the more the actions of the police will reduce the feelings of insecurity. The more the police fail to live up to the expectations, the more the (non-) performance of the police will contribute to the increase of the feelings of insecurity.

Police and the Community

The ResearchConclusions

Significance of the neighborhood as a source of safety and non-safety, regardless of whether this relates to the origins or occurrence of crime or the feelings of insecurity of the public.  The social quality of the neighborhood is an important action point for the safety policy.  

Police and the Community

The ResearchConclusions

Role of the media. It was discovered that one single incidence of violence, which receives extensive media coverage, can be enough to influence the feelings of insecurity of the public.

Also the adoption of the police’s media policy in the research holds prospects. The Zeeland chiefs of police opted for image management in order to consciously build up a good relationship with the press and to create ‘positive press moments’

Police and the Community

The ResearchConclusions

Paradigm change:From output oriented policingTo causal oriented policing

Vision on safety:Safety in the community results from a multiplicity of (f)actors whereby none of these (f)actors can or should claim the primate.

Police and the Community

Implications forPolicing Strategy

Policing:1. Curiosity and exploration of how the

local community “organizes” (non)safety2. Organizing activities in a way

communication with all actors can take place

3. Fulfil our own responsibilities in society (the blue knights) using risk-management for decisionmaking.

Police and the Community

Implications forPolicing Strategy

4. Scan, Analyse, Identify and Define local problems. Plan, Do, Check (so measure!) and (Re)Act.

5. Use all the information you can get. Combine analysis of police registrations, quantitative analysis of surveys and the information police-officers have sensed on the street and neighborhoodmeetings.

Police and the Community

Implications forPolicing Strategy

6. Define what police can do and what others need to contribute, Safety policy is more than Police policy

7. Make a police media policy. When citizens trust the police in the sense that they can rely on them, when they need them, then you are safe and you are living in a Just World.

Police and the Community

Implications forPolicing Strategy

Thank you for your attention

Police and the Community

Implications forPolicing Strategy