Evaluating police behaviour- using video-clips to examine variations in the public's evaluations of police conduct

Lead Research Organisation: University of Wolverhampton
Department Name: Sch of Law, Social Sciences and Comm

Abstract

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Publications

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P.A.J. Waddington (Author) (2011) Public's evaluations of police behaviour 1

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P.A.J. Waddington (Speaker) (2011) Public's evaluation of police behaviour 1

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P.A.J. Waddington (Author) (2011) Quantitative analysis of questionnaires of non-police focus groups

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P.A.J. Waddington (Speaker) (2011) Public's evaluations of police behaviour 2

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Waddington (2017) How People Judge Policing

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Waddington P (2013) Dissension in public evaluations of the police in Policing and Society

 
Description We found that when members of the public are invited to respond freely to video-clips of police-public encounters their opinions are far more nuanced and diverse than standardised questionnaires allow. We could find little evidence that demographic groups responded differently in these circumstances. Members of our focus groups overwhelmingly responded to the content of each of the five video--clips they were shown.
Exploitation Route Our research highlights the need for the police to understand how the public view their exercise of discretion, especially in the use of force. Our methodology can, we believe, be adapted to better inform policy-making and we have tried to engage with police forces to do so. Unfortunately, severe reductions in central government funding has diminished their receptivity to the idea, but we hope that this will be only temporary. Contact with police forces throughout the Midlands region continues and we propose to re-open the question when circumstances are more propitious.
Sectors Government, Democracy and Justice
URL http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/W4xCpID729yXRfCiShet/full