By Dr Heng Choon (Oliver) Chan
Associate Professor of Criminology, Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology
In the wake of several high-profile police scandals and a rise in offences including cybercrime and shoplifting, the public is beginning to lose faith in the police. A recent Savanta survey for The Independent (conducted between 24 and 26 March 2024) revealed that less than half (49%) of the public generally trust the UK’s police, with only 46% for women. Forty-seven percent of the public said they distrusted the police. Another poll by YouGov in 2023 revealed that half of Londoners (51%) said they don’t trust the Metropolitan Police compared to 42% who said they do tend to trust them.
Over the years, there have been many studies on public perceptions of police procedural (whether the police adheres to procedures or protocols) and distributive justice (whether the police offers preferential treatment to certain groups of people). Demographically, men (vs. women) who were more educated were less likely to obey the police, whereas older individuals are more willing to trust the police. Among crime victims, women who were victims of sexual and physical assault were more likely than men to report dissatisfaction with the police, as they perceived themselves as discriminated in the criminal justice system.
My recent study surveyed 1,024 Hong Kong adults’ perceptions of police procedural and distributive justice following the highly controversial pro-democracy movement back in 2019.
Confirming what has been found in the Savanta survey, women reported lesser overall trust in the police than men. When looking at their psychological and sociological well-being, those who are having better general mental health (e.g., positive mentality, non-depressive), greater self-control (e.g., less impulsive, not easily getting agitated), and more negative attitude toward violence (i.e., condoning of violence as problem solving solution) are more willing to support the police.
These findings are transferrable across borders where similar findings are found in other part of the world. Clearly, there can be some take-away points for our British police force to improve the police-citizen relationship through promoting citizens’ cooperation and compliance with the police, as well as their general willingness to obey the law.
- Engaging young people through dialogues with the police to build trust and confidence in the police. School practices and training should aim to promote prosocial functioning (e.g., positive thinking, anger management and general support of police work).
- Social welfare personnel can act as an effective bridging agent between citizen (especially children and young people) and the police in nurturing mutual respect. These mental health professionals who are equipped with necessary social work skills can help to ease potential tensions between the two parties and to encourage constructive communication.
- Updating the police training curriculum by incorporating modules related to crowd-policing training, refresher training for current officers (e.g., crowd psychology, public order policing). Workshops on victim empathy, anger management and basic de-escalation training, which emphasizes effective communication and active listening skills can certainly help police to handle crisis situations more effectively.
I believe that as long as the police is able (and equipped with skills) to stay neutral and transparent in their decision making, show genuine concerns for the interests of all parties, treat citizens from different backgrounds fairly and with respect, and where appropriate, involve citizens in the decision-making process, I am confident that the public support of the police work will increase.
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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Birmingham.