Factors affecting trust in police in Turkey

Authors

  • Bekir Çakar Turkish National Police

Keywords:

Trust in the police, Law enforcement, Public satisfaction, Fear of crime

Abstract

Law enforcement administrators generally evaluate their performance using statistics related to crime control. These statistics are important indicators for measuring performance, but it is also crucial to measure of public opinions toward the police. This study examines the determinants of public trust in the police. Using data from the European Social Survey (ESS) Round 4, for the analysis, a total sample of 2,416 persons is selected from respondents from Turkey. The study provides a snapshot of citizens’ perceptions toward law enforcement. Overall, the results of this study regarding the demographic variables, including age, gender, marital status, and education, were consistent with previous research and proved to be significantly related to trust in the police. Surprisingly, perceived victimization failed to show a significant relationship. However, important predictors included perceived fear of crime and trust in the political system, which had significant impacts on public trust in the police. Especially, fear of crime was a significant predictor of satisfaction with police. Effective crime control and lowering crime rates are considered the core functions of law enforcement by citizens. Therefore, perceived effectiveness in fighting crime can lower individual fear of crime and thus increase satisfaction with law enforcement.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Author Biography

Bekir Çakar, Turkish National Police

Bekir Cakar is working as a Police Superintendent for Turkish National Police (TNP).  He received his Ph.D.in Information Science from College of Information at University of North Texas in 2011. His research interests include policing, security studies, research methodology.

References

Andreescu, V. and Keeling, G. D. (2012). Explaining the public distrust of police in the newest European Union countries, International Journal of Police Science & Menagement Volume (14)3, 219-244.

Burak, B. (2012). Can secularism hinder democracy? The Turkish experiment . İnsan & Toplum, 2 (4), 65-82.

Cao, L. and Zhao, J. (2005). Confidence in the police in Latin America, Journal of Criminal Justice, 33( 5), 403- 412.

Cao, L. and Burton, V.S. (2006). Spanning the continents: assessing the Turkish public confidence in the police, Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 29(3), 451-63.

Cao, L. and Dai, M. (2006). Confidence in the police: Where does Taiwan rank in the World? Asian Criminology, 1, 71-84.

Cao, L., Stack, S. and Sun, Y. (1998). Public confidence in the police: a comparative study between Japan and American Journal of Criminal Justice, 26( 4), 279-8.

Dai, M., & Johnson, R. R. (2009). Is neighborhood context a confounder?: Exploring the effects of citizen race and neighborhood context on satisfaction with the Police. Policing An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 32(4), 595-612.

Dowler, K. and Sparks, R. (2008). Victimization, contact with police, and neighborhood conditions: resonsidering African American and Hispanic attitudes toward the police, Police Practice and Research, 9(5), 1-20.

Ellison, G., Pino, W. N., Shirlow, P., (2012). Assessing the determinants of public confidence in the police: A case study of a post-conflict community in Northern Ireland, Criminology & Criminal Justice 13(5) 552 –576.

Frank, J., Smith, B.W., & Novak, K.J. (2005). Exploring the basis of citizens’ attitudes toward the police. Police Quarterly, 8, 206–228.

Flexon, J. L., Arthur J. L., and Richard G. G., (2009). Exploring the dimensions of trust in the police among Chicago juveniles, Journal of Criminal Justice 37(2), 180-189.

Garcia, V., & Cao, L. (2005). Race and satisfaction with the police in a small city. Journal of CriminalJustice, 33, 191–199.

Hawdon, J., & Ryan, J. (2003). Police–resident interactions and satisfaction with police: An empirical test of community policing assertions. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 14, 55–74.

Ho, T., & McKean, J. (2004). Confidence in the police and perceptions of risk. Western Criminology Review, 5, 108–118.

Ivković, S. K. (2008). A comparative study of public support for the police. International Criminal Justice Review, 18(4), 406-434.

Jang, H., Joo, H. J., & Zhao, J. S. (2010). Determinants of public confidence in police: An international perspective. Journal of Criminal Justice, 38(1), 57-68.

Kakizaki, M. (2012). Determinants of Political Confidence in a Time of Political Realignment: Religion, Economy, and Politics in Turkey. Mediterranean Quarterly, 23(1), 67-88.

Kaariainen, J.T. (2007), Trust in the police in 16 European countries: a multilevel analysis,European Journal of Criminology, 4(4), 409-35.

Keane, J. And Bell, P. (2013), Confidence in the police: Balancing public image with community safety – A comperative review of the literature, International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 41, 233 246.

Karakus, O., McGarrell, E.F. and Basibuyuk, O. (2011). Public satisfaction with law enforcement in Turkey, An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management 34( 2) 304-325.

Luhiste, K. (2006). Explaining trust in political institutions: some illiutrations from Baltic states, Communist and Post Communist Studies, 3, 475-496.

Reisig, M.D., & Parks, R.B. (2000). Experience, quality of life, and neighborhood context: Ahierarchical analysis of satisfaction with police. Justice Quarterly, 17, 607–629.

Skogan, W.G. (2006). Asymmetry in the impact of encounters with police, Policing & Society, 16(2), 99-126.

Turkish Statistical Institute/TUIK, (2014). İstatistik göstergeler. Retrieved December 25, 2014, from http://www.tuik.gov.tr/UstMenu.do?

Weitzer, R. and Tuch, S. A., (2005). Determinants of public satisfaction with the police, Police Quarterly, 8, 279-97.

Downloads

Published

2015-04-21

How to Cite

Çakar, B. (2015). Factors affecting trust in police in Turkey. Journal of Human Sciences, 12(1), 1381–1393. Retrieved from https://j-humansciences.com/ojs/index.php/IJHS/article/view/3192

Issue

Section

Public Administration