Force or Service? An Empirical Test of Police Officers' Attitudes Toward Service-Model Policing

• In Event: Poster Session

Abstract

Based on the notion of 'policing by consent', policy-makers and senior police managers in the UK have sought to re-frame the public as police customers, habitually emphasising the need for the 'rank-and-file' to develop a social and moral bond with local communities in order that they can fulfil their 'core mission'. Whilst there is a growing evidence-base about how to build public confidence in the police - and the important role of procedural justice in police-citizen encounters - few studies have examined what motivates police officers to engage with service-model policing. This poster presents emerging findings of a doctorate study seeking to address this gap in the literature. Utilising survey data of a sample police officers aiming to benchmark service culture, the poster presents the results of a series of empirical tests that examine the effect of a number of key variables on officer's alignment with service-model policing. The findings are presented with regard to the recent fundamental changes in the British policing landscape and media exposes of alleged corruption, acknowledging the significant challenges these present to the traditional police identity and the cultural ethos that has long underpinned it.

Author

• Liam Fenn, University of Surrey, UK