A Golden Thread, a Presence Amongst Uniforms, and a Good Deal of Data: Studying Public Confidence in the London Metropolitan Police

Policing & Society, Forthcoming

14 Pages Posted: 20 Apr 2011 Last revised: 15 May 2012

See all articles by Elizabeth A. Stanko

Elizabeth A. Stanko

Independent

Jonathan Jackson

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Department of Methodology

Ben Bradford

University College London - Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science

Katrin Hohl

City University London; London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE)

Date Written: April 20, 2011

Abstract

This article discusses how four authors came together to create - inside a police service - a specific approach to public ‘trust and confidence.’ We have had many theoretical debates - about the nature of public understanding of policing, police culture, procedural justice and public trust in public institutions in a democracy. And while we continue to debate, we wade through mounds of data gathered routinely through the Metropolitan Police’s own Public Attitude Survey. Reporting internally on a quarterly basis, the survey challenges police colleagues to think about how the police must demonstrate to citizens their trustworthiness to act fairly, effectively and with the best interests of communities at heart. Our experience of moulding the discourse about public confidence inside the largest police service in the UK suggests that police culture itself has been challenged by the accountability that lies at the heart of trust and trustworthiness. We have been asked by the editors of this issue to share with readers how we have come to create a contribution to understanding what drives confidence in policing, which is now a routine part of its performance management.

Keywords: policing, trust, confidence, legitimacy, culture, police

JEL Classification: K40

Suggested Citation

Stanko, Elizabeth A. and Jackson, Jonathan and Bradford, Ben and Hohl, Katrin, A Golden Thread, a Presence Amongst Uniforms, and a Good Deal of Data: Studying Public Confidence in the London Metropolitan Police (April 20, 2011). Policing & Society, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1815824 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1815824

Elizabeth A. Stanko

Independent ( email )

Jonathan Jackson (Contact Author)

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Department of Methodology ( email )

Houghton Street
London, WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom
+0044-207-955-7652 (Phone)

Ben Bradford

University College London - Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science ( email )

35 Tavistock Square
London, WC1H 9EZ
United Kingdom

Katrin Hohl

City University London ( email )

Northampton Square
London, EC1V OHB
United Kingdom

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) ( email )

Houghton Street
London, WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom

HOME PAGE: http://lse.academia.edu/KatrinHohl/About

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