NCJ Number
101830
Date Published
1985
Length
616 pages
Annotation
Based on four research studies, this book examines relations between Londoners (England) and the Metropolitan Police and analyzes police organizational procedures and practices.
Abstract
One study surveyed 2,420 Londoners in the fall of 1981, including substantial subsamples of Asians and West Indians. A second study involved participant observation of a group of young blacks in a self-help hostel during the first half of 1981. A survey in the summer of 1982 involved 1,770 Metropolitan Police officers up to the rank of inspector. The fourth study of police work consisted of lengthy observation, informal interviews, and an analysis of internal documents over 2 years beginning in the fall of 1980. Generally, public confidence in the police is reasonably high, but citizens are considerably anxious about certain types of crime and believe the police cannot combat them effectively. Confidence in the police is dangerously low among some segments of the population, particularly among West Indians. Observation and accounts of citizen experience indicate police misconduct in the areas of rudeness, procedures affecting evidence, racial prejudice, interpretation of arrest and stop-and-search powers, and the use of force. Recommendations are offered in the areas of initial selection of officers, officer probationer training, promotion and performance assessment, career development, supervision, management, information management, stops, and structure. Extensive tabular data.