This thesis tackles why people trust the police. Chapter 1 is an introductory chapter aimed at explaining why it is important to study which factors affect people’s trust in the police. It begins by considering that the police, faced with a crisis in public security, new trends in policing and police ineffectiveness in preventing crime, risk losing their legitimacy (para. 1.1). It also considers that the police are reacting to this crisis by developing strategies aimed at increasing people’s trust in them. This is also occurring because recent studies have emphasised the importance of trust in the police for the success of crime prevention and insecurity reduction strategies (para. 1.2). Although the call for developing and sustaining these trust-oriented strategies has been loud, it is recognised that we need to know ‘if’ and ‘how’ police’ work may affect people’s trust in the police (para. 1.3). This thesis, therefore, looks at the reason why people trust the police, in order to know if and how police work may affect people’s trust in the police (para. 1.4). In chapter 2, a review of extant research literature in the area of trust and trust in the police is presented. The chapter starts by tackling theoretical issues on trust in human and social sciences in order to learn why people trust the police. From this review two different perspectives about why people trust the police are discussed. In the first, people trust the police because they have a subjective inclination to do so; in the second, people trust the police because police actions induce them to do so (para. 2.1). Next, the chapter reviews studies on factors of trust in the police, in order to learn which perspective regarding why people trust the police has more support from empirical research (para. 2.2). Considering that the findings of previous studies do not provide a definitive answer, at the end of the chapter three research hypotheses on which variables affect trust in the police are formulated (para. 2.3). Chapter 3 presents the design and methodology used to test the research hypotheses. Data from a survey of residents’ attitudes towards police in Trentino, a northern Italian province, are analysed. The chapter begins by providing information on where the survey was conducted (para. 3.1). Then, it answers the methodological issues that arise from the following questions: how did the survey collect data? How was the sample selected? How was the data analysed to test the research hypotheses? How were dependent and independent variables measured? (para. 3.2). Next, the chapter presents the main findings of the data analyses (para. 3.3). In conclusion, chapter 4 discusses the findings and examines the implications as well as makes recommendations for future research.
(2003). Why people trust the police. An empirical study. (Tesi di dottorato, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, 2003).
Why people trust the police. An empirical study
CORNELLI, ROBERTO
2003
Abstract
This thesis tackles why people trust the police. Chapter 1 is an introductory chapter aimed at explaining why it is important to study which factors affect people’s trust in the police. It begins by considering that the police, faced with a crisis in public security, new trends in policing and police ineffectiveness in preventing crime, risk losing their legitimacy (para. 1.1). It also considers that the police are reacting to this crisis by developing strategies aimed at increasing people’s trust in them. This is also occurring because recent studies have emphasised the importance of trust in the police for the success of crime prevention and insecurity reduction strategies (para. 1.2). Although the call for developing and sustaining these trust-oriented strategies has been loud, it is recognised that we need to know ‘if’ and ‘how’ police’ work may affect people’s trust in the police (para. 1.3). This thesis, therefore, looks at the reason why people trust the police, in order to know if and how police work may affect people’s trust in the police (para. 1.4). In chapter 2, a review of extant research literature in the area of trust and trust in the police is presented. The chapter starts by tackling theoretical issues on trust in human and social sciences in order to learn why people trust the police. From this review two different perspectives about why people trust the police are discussed. In the first, people trust the police because they have a subjective inclination to do so; in the second, people trust the police because police actions induce them to do so (para. 2.1). Next, the chapter reviews studies on factors of trust in the police, in order to learn which perspective regarding why people trust the police has more support from empirical research (para. 2.2). Considering that the findings of previous studies do not provide a definitive answer, at the end of the chapter three research hypotheses on which variables affect trust in the police are formulated (para. 2.3). Chapter 3 presents the design and methodology used to test the research hypotheses. Data from a survey of residents’ attitudes towards police in Trentino, a northern Italian province, are analysed. The chapter begins by providing information on where the survey was conducted (para. 3.1). Then, it answers the methodological issues that arise from the following questions: how did the survey collect data? How was the sample selected? How was the data analysed to test the research hypotheses? How were dependent and independent variables measured? (para. 3.2). Next, the chapter presents the main findings of the data analyses (para. 3.3). In conclusion, chapter 4 discusses the findings and examines the implications as well as makes recommendations for future research.
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