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AN EXPLORATION OF THE FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH PUBLIC TRUST IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE

Year 2016, Volume: 8 Issue: 2, 219 - 236, 01.12.2016

Abstract

In order for the criminal justice system to be effective, the public must be able to
have trust in the system. The police being the first public contact of the criminal
justice system must maintain high public trust if the system is to perform its
mission to the fullest. This will enhance police effectiveness and the legitimacy of
police actions. Therefore, this study explored the factors associated with public
trust in the South African Police. This secondary data analysis involved the
2014/2015 South African Victims of Crime Survey from Statistics South Africa.
Sample size was 24,701 HHs (n= 24,024 individuals). Using intervieweradministered
questionnaire, information obtained included socio-demographic
data, individual and community response to crime, experience of household
crime, citizen interaction, satisfaction with police services and trust in the SAPS.
Data analysis included descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression
analysis. Of the households surveyed, 76% (n=18,827) reported having trust in the
police and 57.0% (n = 13, 741) reported being satisfied with the police in their
areas. A significantly higher proportion of those with lower level of education had
trust in the police than those with higher level of education (p < 0.001). The
proportion of participants who had trust in the police was lower in the employed
than the unemployed participants (74.9% vs. 77.2%; p < 0.001). Victims of crimes
such as car theft (AOR: 0.67; p < 0.004), housebreak (AOR: 0.84; p < 0.005) and
motor vehicle vandalism (AOR: 0.62; p < 0.001) in the last 5years were less likely
to trust the police. Those who were satisfied with the police services in their areas
were more likely to trust the police (AOR: 12.4; p < 0.001). Findings indicate
among many others; male participants are likely to trust the police more than
female. Victims of house breaking, car vandalism in the preceding five years are
not likely to trust the police. Furthermore, the greater the community satisfaction
with the South African police performance; the higher the level of public trust. It
is recommended that factors negatively affecting public trust in the South African
Police as identified in this paper be addressed.

References

  • Boateng, F. D. (2012) Public Trust in the Police: Identifying factors that shape trust in the Ghanaian Police. IPES Working Paper Series, No. www.ipes.info/WPS/WPS_No_42.pdf
  • Boateng, F. D. (2015) Trust in the police: an analysis of urban cities in Ghana.
  • Doctoral dissertation. USA: Washington State University Bradford, B., Huq, A., Jackson, J., & Roberts, B. (2014) What price fairness when security is at stake? Police legitimacy in South Africa. Regulation and Governance, 8 (2):246-268
  • Bradford, B. (2011) Convergence, not divergence? Trends and Trajectories in public contact and confidence in the police. British Journal of Criminology, 51: 200
  • Brogden, M. & Nijhar, P. (1998) Corruption and the South African Police. Crime,
  • Law & Social Change, 30: 89-106
  • Bruce, D. (2011) Unfinished Business: The architecture of Police Accountability in South Africa. African Policing Civilian Oversight Forum
  • Faull, A. (2007) Corruption and the South African Police Service: A review and its implications. ISS Paper 150, September
  • Fleming, J., & McLaughlin, E. (2010) The public gets what the public wants?
  • Interrogating the 'public confidence' agenda. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, 4(3), 199-202
  • Flexon, J. L., Lurigio, A. J., & Greenleaf, R. G. (2009) Exploring the dimensions of trust in the police among Chicago juveniles. Journal of Criminal Justice, 37, pp. 180-18
  • Fry, L. (2013) Trust of the Police in South Africa: A Research Note. International
  • Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences (IJCJS), 8 (1): 36–46 Goldsmith, A. (2003) Policing weak states: Citizen Safety and state responsibility.
  • Policing & Society, 13(1), 3–21 Goldsmith, A. (2005) Police Reform and the Problem of Trust. Theoretical Criminology 9(4):443-470
  • Hough, M. (2007) Policing, new public management and legitimacy. In: Tyler, T.
  • (ed.). Legitimacy and Criminal Justice. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. Kääriäinen, J.T. (2007) Trust in the police in 16 European countries. European Journal of Criminology 4: 409–435
  • Kaariainen, J. (2008) Why Do the Finns Trust the Police? Journal of
  • Scandinavian Studies in Criminology and Crime Prevention 141-159
  • Kaariainen, J., & Siren, R. (2011) Trust in the police, generalized trust and reporting crime. European Journal of Criminology 8: 65-81
  • Kinnes, I., & Newham, G. (2012) Freeing the Hawks: Why an anti-corruption agency should not be in SAPS, SA Crime Quarterly, (39): 33-39
  • Lai, Y. -L., & Zhao, J. S. (2010) The impact of race/ethnicity, neighbourhood context, and police/citizen interaction on residents’ attitudes toward the police.
  • Journal of Criminal Justice, 38, 685–692 Miller, S. (1999) Noble Cause Corruption in Policing. African Security Review, (3)
  • Newham, G. (2000) Towards Understanding and Combating Police Corruption.
  • Crime & Conflict, 19, Autumn. Newham, G. & Bruce, D. (2000) Racism, Brutality and Corruption are the Key
  • Human Rights Challenges Facing the Transformation of the SAPS’ Reconstruct, The Sunday Independent, 10 December Newman, G. (2004) Out of Step: Integrity and the South African Police Service.
  • In Klockars et al (eds.) The Contours of Police integrity. Thousand Oaks. California: Sage Olutola, A. (2014). The ruling political parties and the war against crime and corruption in Nigeria and South Africa: The case of two brothers with headless bodies. Acta Criminologica: Southern African Journal of Criminology. Special edition (2): 135-149
  • Rader, N. E. (2004) The Threat of Victimization: A Theoretical
  • Reconceptualization of Fear of Crime. Sociological Spectrum: Mid-South Sociological Association, 24(6), 689-704
  • Reiner, R. (2005). In Newburn, T (Ed) 2005: Policing – Key Readings. Willan
  • Publishing. Devon. Part F.pp.675 Ren, L., Cao, L., Lovrich, N., & Gaffney, M. (2005) Linking confidence in police with the performance of the police: community policing can make a difference.
  • Journal of Criminal Justice, 33: 55–66 Reynolds, K.M., Semukhina, O.B. & Demidov, N.N. (2008) A longitudinal analysis of public satisfaction with the police in the Volgograd region of Russia
  • (1998–2005). International Criminal Justice Review 18: 158–189
  • Sayed, T. & Bruce, D. (1998) Inside and Outside the Boundaries of Police
  • Corruption. African Security Review, 7(2) Sekhonyane, M. (2003) More than good intentions. Finding the sting in anticorruption tale, South Africa, Nedbank ISS Crime Index.
  • Skogan, W. G. (2009) Concern about Crime and Confidence in the Police:
  • Reassurance or Accountability? Police Quarterly, 12(3), 301-318
  • Snyman, C.R. (1999) Criminal law. Durban: Butterworths.
  • Six, F. (2003) The Dynamics of Trust and Trouble’, in B. Nooteboom & F. Six
  • (eds.) The Trust Process in Organisations. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar South Africa History Online (2012) The Marikana massacre 16 August 2012.
  • On-Line] available from http://www.sahistory.org.za/article/marikana-massacre- august-2012#sthash.lm8VpCzG .dpuf Accessed: 13 July 2016. th
  • Sutton, R. M., & Farrall, S. (2005) Gender, socially desirable responding and the fear of crime. British Journal of Criminology, 45, 212-224
  • Syed, T. & Bruce, D. (1998) Police Corruption: Towards a Working Definition.
  • African Security Review 7(1) Tyler, T. R., & Huo, Y. J. (2002) Trust in the law. Encouraging public cooperation with the police and courts. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
  • Tyler, T. (1990) Why people obey the law. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
  • Van der Spuy, E. (2009) Police cooperation in the Southern African region: politics and practicalities. Crime, Law and Social Change, (51): 243-259
  • Vilalta, C. J. (2012) Fear of crime and home security systems. Police Practice and Research: An International Journal, 13(1):4-14
  • Weitzer, R., & Tuch S. A. (2005) Determinants of Public Satisfaction with the Police. Police Quarterly 8(3):279-297
  • Worrall, J. L. (1999) Public perceptions of police efficacy and image: The “fuzziness” of support for the police. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 24, 66.
  • Wu, Y., & Sun, I. Y. (2009) Citizen Trust in Police: The Case of China. Police Quarterly 12:170-191
  • Wu, Y., Sun, I. Y., & Triplett, R. A. (2009) Race, Class, or Neighbourhood
  • Context: Which Matters More in Measuring Satisfaction with Police? Justice Quarterly, 26, 125–156 Zevitz, R. and Rettammel, R. (1990) Elderly attitudes about police service.
  • American Journal of Police, 9: 25-39
  • Zhao, S., Scheider, M., & Thurman, Q. (2002) The effect of police presence on public fear reduction and satisfaction: A review of the literature. The Justice Professional, 15, 273-299
Year 2016, Volume: 8 Issue: 2, 219 - 236, 01.12.2016

Abstract

References

  • Boateng, F. D. (2012) Public Trust in the Police: Identifying factors that shape trust in the Ghanaian Police. IPES Working Paper Series, No. www.ipes.info/WPS/WPS_No_42.pdf
  • Boateng, F. D. (2015) Trust in the police: an analysis of urban cities in Ghana.
  • Doctoral dissertation. USA: Washington State University Bradford, B., Huq, A., Jackson, J., & Roberts, B. (2014) What price fairness when security is at stake? Police legitimacy in South Africa. Regulation and Governance, 8 (2):246-268
  • Bradford, B. (2011) Convergence, not divergence? Trends and Trajectories in public contact and confidence in the police. British Journal of Criminology, 51: 200
  • Brogden, M. & Nijhar, P. (1998) Corruption and the South African Police. Crime,
  • Law & Social Change, 30: 89-106
  • Bruce, D. (2011) Unfinished Business: The architecture of Police Accountability in South Africa. African Policing Civilian Oversight Forum
  • Faull, A. (2007) Corruption and the South African Police Service: A review and its implications. ISS Paper 150, September
  • Fleming, J., & McLaughlin, E. (2010) The public gets what the public wants?
  • Interrogating the 'public confidence' agenda. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, 4(3), 199-202
  • Flexon, J. L., Lurigio, A. J., & Greenleaf, R. G. (2009) Exploring the dimensions of trust in the police among Chicago juveniles. Journal of Criminal Justice, 37, pp. 180-18
  • Fry, L. (2013) Trust of the Police in South Africa: A Research Note. International
  • Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences (IJCJS), 8 (1): 36–46 Goldsmith, A. (2003) Policing weak states: Citizen Safety and state responsibility.
  • Policing & Society, 13(1), 3–21 Goldsmith, A. (2005) Police Reform and the Problem of Trust. Theoretical Criminology 9(4):443-470
  • Hough, M. (2007) Policing, new public management and legitimacy. In: Tyler, T.
  • (ed.). Legitimacy and Criminal Justice. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. Kääriäinen, J.T. (2007) Trust in the police in 16 European countries. European Journal of Criminology 4: 409–435
  • Kaariainen, J. (2008) Why Do the Finns Trust the Police? Journal of
  • Scandinavian Studies in Criminology and Crime Prevention 141-159
  • Kaariainen, J., & Siren, R. (2011) Trust in the police, generalized trust and reporting crime. European Journal of Criminology 8: 65-81
  • Kinnes, I., & Newham, G. (2012) Freeing the Hawks: Why an anti-corruption agency should not be in SAPS, SA Crime Quarterly, (39): 33-39
  • Lai, Y. -L., & Zhao, J. S. (2010) The impact of race/ethnicity, neighbourhood context, and police/citizen interaction on residents’ attitudes toward the police.
  • Journal of Criminal Justice, 38, 685–692 Miller, S. (1999) Noble Cause Corruption in Policing. African Security Review, (3)
  • Newham, G. (2000) Towards Understanding and Combating Police Corruption.
  • Crime & Conflict, 19, Autumn. Newham, G. & Bruce, D. (2000) Racism, Brutality and Corruption are the Key
  • Human Rights Challenges Facing the Transformation of the SAPS’ Reconstruct, The Sunday Independent, 10 December Newman, G. (2004) Out of Step: Integrity and the South African Police Service.
  • In Klockars et al (eds.) The Contours of Police integrity. Thousand Oaks. California: Sage Olutola, A. (2014). The ruling political parties and the war against crime and corruption in Nigeria and South Africa: The case of two brothers with headless bodies. Acta Criminologica: Southern African Journal of Criminology. Special edition (2): 135-149
  • Rader, N. E. (2004) The Threat of Victimization: A Theoretical
  • Reconceptualization of Fear of Crime. Sociological Spectrum: Mid-South Sociological Association, 24(6), 689-704
  • Reiner, R. (2005). In Newburn, T (Ed) 2005: Policing – Key Readings. Willan
  • Publishing. Devon. Part F.pp.675 Ren, L., Cao, L., Lovrich, N., & Gaffney, M. (2005) Linking confidence in police with the performance of the police: community policing can make a difference.
  • Journal of Criminal Justice, 33: 55–66 Reynolds, K.M., Semukhina, O.B. & Demidov, N.N. (2008) A longitudinal analysis of public satisfaction with the police in the Volgograd region of Russia
  • (1998–2005). International Criminal Justice Review 18: 158–189
  • Sayed, T. & Bruce, D. (1998) Inside and Outside the Boundaries of Police
  • Corruption. African Security Review, 7(2) Sekhonyane, M. (2003) More than good intentions. Finding the sting in anticorruption tale, South Africa, Nedbank ISS Crime Index.
  • Skogan, W. G. (2009) Concern about Crime and Confidence in the Police:
  • Reassurance or Accountability? Police Quarterly, 12(3), 301-318
  • Snyman, C.R. (1999) Criminal law. Durban: Butterworths.
  • Six, F. (2003) The Dynamics of Trust and Trouble’, in B. Nooteboom & F. Six
  • (eds.) The Trust Process in Organisations. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar South Africa History Online (2012) The Marikana massacre 16 August 2012.
  • On-Line] available from http://www.sahistory.org.za/article/marikana-massacre- august-2012#sthash.lm8VpCzG .dpuf Accessed: 13 July 2016. th
  • Sutton, R. M., & Farrall, S. (2005) Gender, socially desirable responding and the fear of crime. British Journal of Criminology, 45, 212-224
  • Syed, T. & Bruce, D. (1998) Police Corruption: Towards a Working Definition.
  • African Security Review 7(1) Tyler, T. R., & Huo, Y. J. (2002) Trust in the law. Encouraging public cooperation with the police and courts. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
  • Tyler, T. (1990) Why people obey the law. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
  • Van der Spuy, E. (2009) Police cooperation in the Southern African region: politics and practicalities. Crime, Law and Social Change, (51): 243-259
  • Vilalta, C. J. (2012) Fear of crime and home security systems. Police Practice and Research: An International Journal, 13(1):4-14
  • Weitzer, R., & Tuch S. A. (2005) Determinants of Public Satisfaction with the Police. Police Quarterly 8(3):279-297
  • Worrall, J. L. (1999) Public perceptions of police efficacy and image: The “fuzziness” of support for the police. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 24, 66.
  • Wu, Y., & Sun, I. Y. (2009) Citizen Trust in Police: The Case of China. Police Quarterly 12:170-191
  • Wu, Y., Sun, I. Y., & Triplett, R. A. (2009) Race, Class, or Neighbourhood
  • Context: Which Matters More in Measuring Satisfaction with Police? Justice Quarterly, 26, 125–156 Zevitz, R. and Rettammel, R. (1990) Elderly attitudes about police service.
  • American Journal of Police, 9: 25-39
  • Zhao, S., Scheider, M., & Thurman, Q. (2002) The effect of police presence on public fear reduction and satisfaction: A review of the literature. The Justice Professional, 15, 273-299
There are 53 citations in total.

Details

Other ID JA93DF86ZZ
Journal Section Articles
Authors

A. A. Olutola This is me

Paul O. Bello This is me

Publication Date December 1, 2016
Published in Issue Year 2016 Volume: 8 Issue: 2

Cite

APA Olutola, A. A., & Bello, P. O. (2016). AN EXPLORATION OF THE FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH PUBLIC TRUST IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE. International Journal of Economics and Finance Studies, 8(2), 219-236.
AMA Olutola AA, Bello PO. AN EXPLORATION OF THE FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH PUBLIC TRUST IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE. IJEFS. December 2016;8(2):219-236.
Chicago Olutola, A. A., and Paul O. Bello. “AN EXPLORATION OF THE FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH PUBLIC TRUST IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE”. International Journal of Economics and Finance Studies 8, no. 2 (December 2016): 219-36.
EndNote Olutola AA, Bello PO (December 1, 2016) AN EXPLORATION OF THE FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH PUBLIC TRUST IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE. International Journal of Economics and Finance Studies 8 2 219–236.
IEEE A. A. Olutola and P. O. Bello, “AN EXPLORATION OF THE FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH PUBLIC TRUST IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE”, IJEFS, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 219–236, 2016.
ISNAD Olutola, A. A. - Bello, Paul O. “AN EXPLORATION OF THE FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH PUBLIC TRUST IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE”. International Journal of Economics and Finance Studies 8/2 (December 2016), 219-236.
JAMA Olutola AA, Bello PO. AN EXPLORATION OF THE FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH PUBLIC TRUST IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE. IJEFS. 2016;8:219–236.
MLA Olutola, A. A. and Paul O. Bello. “AN EXPLORATION OF THE FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH PUBLIC TRUST IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE”. International Journal of Economics and Finance Studies, vol. 8, no. 2, 2016, pp. 219-36.
Vancouver Olutola AA, Bello PO. AN EXPLORATION OF THE FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH PUBLIC TRUST IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE. IJEFS. 2016;8(2):219-36.