NCJ Number
228005
Date Published
April 2009
Length
68 pages
Annotation
This report presents the 2008 findings of the Public Attitudes Survey of the Queensland Police Service (QPS) and information on trends over the past 17 years.
Abstract
The survey indicates that even though the majority of respondents believed that Indigenous Australians are treated differently than White Australians, they indicated an overall positive view of the QPS, noting only a few areas where improvement is warranted. These areas include: interaction with Indigenous Queenslanders, as reported both by Indigenous respondents and as a perception of all respondents; and interactions with the public in general, and with young people in particular. Finally, the survey revealed potential misunderstandings of the complaints process, suggesting a need for strategies to increase public awareness about complaint matters. The 2008 Public Attitudes Survey measures public perception of the QPS, as well as public knowledge of and confidence in the complaints processes, conducted on behalf of the Criminal Justice and Crime and Misconduct Commissions (CJC and CMC). The CJC was created in 1989 to investigate allegations of police misconduct, and the annual Public Attitudes Survey is the instrument used to measure the change in public perception of police integrity. Data were collected from a random sample of all Queensland residents over 18 years of age via a Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing method. A total of 1,550 respondents participated. Various statistical techniques were used to analyze the data, which was then compared to previous surveys to assess trends. Tables, figures, and references