Community Perceptions and Expectations of the Victorian Police

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Community Perceptions and Expectations of the
Victorian Police
Judy Gray and Zane Ma Rhea
2004 Faculty Small Grant
Community policing relies on the development of a
network of relations that generate trust,
reciprocity, and enhance cooperation between the
police and the community. Current research is
largely limited to North American and European
contexts. This pilot study will conduct focus
groups in metropolitan and regional Victoria to
investigate community perceptions of police,
community policing, and community expectations of
future roles for Victorian Police. This study
will advance theoretical understanding of
community attitudes, identify critical issues to
examine in a future project, and provide an
empirical foundation for Victoria Police
strategic planning 2008 2013 and beyond.
This pilot study aims to investigate community
perceptions of police and community policing and
identify community expectations of the future
roles of Victorian Police. The study will provide
a preliminary investigation of the extent to
which the Victorian community perceive the
Victoria Police should Protect, help and
reassure the community preserve peace and
safety prevent crime, and uphold the law with
regard to the public good and the rights of the
individual. In addition, the study will ascertain
the extent to which the community perceives the
Victoria Police should be involved in a range of
additional services currently undertaken by the
Police such as investigating criminal and
traffic offences assisting emergency services
mediating family and neighbourhood disputes
including domestic violence and coordinating the
safe and effective flow of traffic. The study
aims to develop a theoretical understanding of
community expectations regarding their safety,
individually and collectively, and the factors
that underpin community attitudes towards the
police. The findings of this study will directly
contribute to the development of an ARC linkage
project in conjunction with the Victoria Police.