Confidence in the Police as a mediating Factor in the Fear of Crime

Abstract

The paper draws attention to findings of research which show or suggest that confidence in the police might be negatively correlated with fear of crime. The paper argues that the potential mediating effect of confidence in the police on fear is an important research issue as it might suggest practicable policy options. In order to examine this relation aggregated data drawn from surveys conducted in four residential areas in England were analysed using both bivariate and multivariate methods of analysis. The research showed that while there appeared to be a negative correlation between confidence in the police and fear at the bivariate level this effect disappeared at the multivariate level when other relevant factors were taken into account. The paper concludes that the connection between public views on the quality of policing and fear of crime deserves further research in order to determine under what conditions (if any) confidence might affect fear and to learn more about the nature of public perceptions of the police as a potential source of protection against public worries and fears.