Richard Bennett
Professor of Justice, Law & Criminology, American University
Key Findings
- Positive perceptions of police competence help calm citizen fear of crime.
- Older individuals have a higher confidence in the police.
- Citizen gender did not have a significant effect on perceived police competency or fear of crime.
- Citizen marital status was connected to higher levels of fear of crime.
- Individuals with higher levels of education had less confidence in the police.
- As socioeconomic status (SES) increased, so did trust in police, and as SES increased, fear of crime decreased.
- Crime in the community was the strongest predictor of fear of crime in individuals.
- Presence of gangs in the community increased fear of crime but did not impact perception of police competency.
Description
In the article, “Confidence in the Police and the Fear of Crime in the Developing World,” Bennett and his co-authors examine perceptions of police trust and crime using comparative analysis in Caribbean countries. The authors used data from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which used a stratified random selection of adults in private dwellings in Barbados, Saint Lucia, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago on dealing with violence, crime, community, and other issues. The results showed that positive perceptions of police competence help calm citizens’ fear of crime. Older individuals have a higher confidence in the police. Citizen gender did not have a significant effect on perceived police competency or fear of crime. Citizen marital status was connected to higher levels of fear of crime. Individuals with higher levels of education had less confidence in the police. As socioeconomic status (SES) increased, so did trust in police, and as SES increased, fear of crime decreased. Crime in the community was the strongest predictor of fear of crime in individuals. Presence of gangs in the community increased fear of crime but did not impact perception of police competency. In conclusion, the authors suggest that new policies can be created to increase police competency and decrease an individual’s fear of crime in the Caribbean.