NCJ Number
135790
Journal
Canadian Police College Journal Volume: 16 Issue: 1 Dated: (1992) Pages: 24-46
Date Published
1992
Length
23 pages
Annotation
The objective of this study was to examine public awareness of community policing initiatives in Canada and the impact of such activities on public consciousness, as evident in the media.
Abstract
One newspaper was selected in each of three cities for content analysis. Articles were categorized with respect to crime type, perceptions of police, and visibility of crime prevention and community-based policing. Findings from the cities of Fredericton, Halifax, and Victoria showed that perceptions of crime did not appear to be influenced directly by changes in policing strategies. The visibility of crime types and the prominence given to an increase in crime were not muted or marked by community-based policing initiatives. Rather, there were relatively stable concerns of the media and the public, for example, concern for victims of crime and the need for more severe sentencing of offenders. Public awareness of the police did not appear to be associated with changes in policing strategies. Although police enforcement remained a primary focus in Halifax and Victoria before and after the introduction of community-based policing, the police chief assumed a more visible role in each city. Public awareness of crime prevention and associated programs became more intense, but not solely in response to the introduction of community-based policing. The sample of only three newspapers limits the extent to which the findings can be extrapolated to public awareness as influenced by the media on a more general level. 6 references and 16 figures