NCJ Number
138668
Date Published
1988
Length
6 pages
Annotation
The Australian Institute of Criminology sponsored a 1987 survey of public attitudes toward police and police services in which 2,475 persons aged 14 years and over were interviewed throughout the country.
Abstract
Participants had to indicate their level of agreement with a series of 10 statements about the police. Most respondents felt there should be more police officers and agreed that traffic regulation should be a police responsibility. Considerable variation occurred in response to the proposition that police spend too much time going after people who commit minor infractions and too little time going after serious criminals. Respondents generally agreed that police need better training to deal with family violence. Most respondents agreed that increased phone tapping powers for police would lead to serious threats to civil liberties. Further, most respondents felt that police should carry guns at all times, that more minority groups should be represented in the police force, and that police should spend more time patrolling on foot and less time in cars. Western Australian respondents appeared least likely to experience police misconduct, while Queensland respondents seemed most likely to experience it. New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania generally ranged between the two extremes. With the single exception of Tasmanian perceptions of police discrimination toward convicted persons, most respondents disagreed that police discriminate against various subgroups. 1 reference, 2 tables, and 10 figures