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Article
Publication date: 1 October 2006

Jeanette York

This article explores the findings of the recent Audit Commission report. Crime and disorder reduction partnerships (CDRPs) need a sound understanding of what makes people safe in…

Abstract

This article explores the findings of the recent Audit Commission report. Crime and disorder reduction partnerships (CDRPs) need a sound understanding of what makes people safe in a particular area. The report identifies some positive achievements and ways in which agencies can improve further in the light of new policy developments in neighbourhood policing and community safety.

Details

Safer Communities, vol. 5 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-8043

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 October 2020

Hiroki Nakamura and Shunsuke Managi

Using a case study from Delhi, India, this study aims to investigate why perceived safety endures despite crimes in the neighborhood. Local residents in Delhi feel considerably…

Abstract

Purpose

Using a case study from Delhi, India, this study aims to investigate why perceived safety endures despite crimes in the neighborhood. Local residents in Delhi feel considerably less fearful of crime in their neighborhoods, and a majority reported feeling safe in their neighborhoods, especially during the daytime.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper hypothesized that similar to the crime itself, perceptions of safety or the fear of crime, also tend to be concentrated in hotspots. Following a hotspot analysis based on the respondents’ perceptions of safety, the data gathered were applied to the perceived neighborhood structure. Using two perception-of-safety models, this paper could analyze the ripple effect of individual perception on the neighborhood by adding the calculated values of the perceived safety hotspot through hotspot analysis.

Findings

The results indicated that income, trust in others, attachment to the local neighborhood and police access can increase residents’ perceptions of safety. Additionally, the neighborhoods’ perception of safety was found to positively impact the individual’s perception of safety.

Research limitations/implications

This study was limited in terms of generalizing the findings. Further studies could potentially include not only other cities in India but also, cities in developing countries in Africa and Latin America, where residents tend not to fear crime despite high crime rates.

Practical implications

Residents’ perceived safety does not necessarily reflect local crimes and security. Local policies to improve residents’ perceptions of safety have to often be separated from crime reduction because a reduction in some crimes would not necessarily improve residents’ perception of safety. Contrarily, if the crime rate is high, as in the case of Delhi, people may have a moderate fear of crime across the neighborhood.

Originality/value

Notably, this study found that, along with trust in others and attachment to the local neighborhood, individuals’ perception of safety is positively affected by neighborhoods’ perception of safety, which is assessed by the alternate analytic model.

Details

Safer Communities, vol. 19 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-8043

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 November 2008

Jacinta M. Gau

The purpose of the present analysis is to test the relative impact of trust in police, social cohesion, and fear of crime on neighborhood‐level rates of concealed pistol license…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the present analysis is to test the relative impact of trust in police, social cohesion, and fear of crime on neighborhood‐level rates of concealed pistol license (CPL) holding. The dynamics of both formal and informal social control are hypothesized to affect neighborhood CPL concentrations.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were neighborhood‐level and came from a city survey and the state Department of Licensing. A path model was estimated.

Findings

Police service level had a negative indirect effect on neighborhood CPL concentrations through fear of crime, but had a strong positive direct effect. Social cohesion also had a strong positive direct effect on CPL rates.

Research limitations/implications

The study suggests that lawful concealed hand‐gun carrying should be viewed as a way in which neighborhoods exercise informal social control. People in socially cohesive areas may carry concealed hand‐guns not only because they fear for their own safety, but also because they feel a sense of responsibility to their fellow neighborhood residents.

Practical implications

Police who encourage citizens to engage in private forms of self‐protection should be aware that citizens in cohesive areas may choose to do this via hand‐gun carrying. Police should be sure that citizens in these neighborhoods have ready access to safety training and devices. Most importantly, police should emphasize to citizens in these areas that hand‐gun carrying has not been shown conclusively to reduce crime, and that there are other private crime‐prevention techniques that carry more promise of keeping communities safer from crime.

Originality/value

There are few studies attempting to determine the precursors to concealed hand‐gun carrying. The paper seeks a better understanding of the reasons why some neighborhoods evince higher levels of CPLs than others. Additionally, most prior studies have used suboptimal levels of aggregation. The study uses neighborhood‐level data, which allows for an examination of ecological phenomena without the confounding effects of between‐jurisdiction heterogeneity that a higher level of aggregation would produce.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 31 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 November 2015

Hongming Cheng

– The purpose of this paper is to explore determining factors that account for variation in public satisfaction with the local police in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore determining factors that account for variation in public satisfaction with the local police in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Design/methodology/approach

An integrated method was used to gather the data for this study, including official survey data conducted by Insightrix, and interviews with citizens in Saskatoon.

Findings

This research found that demographic factors including age, race (in this study, Aboriginal status in particular), education, and income, perception of neighborhood safety, citizen-police interaction, and learning about crime from news media all have impact on public attitudes toward the police, to different degrees. The gap or distance between the police and the Aboriginal community was highlighted as a major factor.

Research limitations/implications

Further research should be done to compare statistical patterns in other same-level cities in Canada.

Practical implications

This paper indicates that Saskatoon Police Service in the future should provide a more structured avenue for citizen participation in establishing safe neighborhoods, more structured cultural sensitivity training, and create a wider channel through which community residents with various social backgrounds can demand some measure of accountability for police work in their area.

Originality/value

The paper is of value to law enforcement policy-makers and academic researchers with interest in policing and police-community relationship.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 38 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 January 2017

Massoomeh Hedayati-Marzbali, Mohammad Javad Maghsoodi Tilaki and Aldrin Abdullah

The contribution of neighbourhood structure to residents’ perceptions towards built environment is becoming recognised. Although considerable theoretical evidence exists to…

Abstract

Purpose

The contribution of neighbourhood structure to residents’ perceptions towards built environment is becoming recognised. Although considerable theoretical evidence exists to support the idea that natural surveillance is related to perceptions of safety, the empirical literature on examining the effect of neighbourhood structure and residents’ attitude towards their neighbourhood on perceptions of safety is limited, especially in developing countries. The purpose of this paper is to assess the relationships between natural surveillance, perceived disorder, social cohesion and perception of safety in a gated community.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 250 households from Babolsar, Iran, participated in this study. The structural equation modelling technique was employed to examine the research model.

Findings

The results indicate that natural surveillance is negatively related to disorder and is positively related to social cohesion and perception of safety. The model also shows no significant relationship between social cohesion and perception of safety in the study area. Residents perceived relatively high levels of social cohesion, but their perceptions of safety were moderate.

Originality/value

Findings emphasise the importance of neighbourhood structure and active roles of local communities in enhancing neighbourly relations and perceptions of safety.

Details

Safer Communities, vol. 16 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-8043

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 March 2016

Teck Hong Tan

The purpose of this study is to examine the residents’ satisfaction level with their neighbourhood and which dominant attributes can predict the neighbourhood satisfaction levels…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the residents’ satisfaction level with their neighbourhood and which dominant attributes can predict the neighbourhood satisfaction levels of the residents in the green-accredited township.

Design/methodology/approach

In this survey, 300 self-administered questionnaires were distributed to respondents who have resided in the green-accredited township. Only 190 survey forms were returned and used in generating the analysis.

Findings

Integrated connectivity and accessibility and environmental quality have been shown to exert a significant influence on neighbourhood satisfaction. However, residents were not satisfied with the security level and community participation in the green-accredited neighbourhood.

Research limitations/implications

Neighbourhood attributes are noteworthy determinants in assessing the significance of the green-accredited township in Malaysia.

Practical implications

The results of this study would assist policymaking in proposing actual improvements in a sustainable neighbourhood and help in prediction of satisfaction with the planned housing development project.

Originality/value

Going green has become trendy amongst communities. With the government’s move to promote green living, stakeholders, such as residents, local government or housing developers, have urged to contribute towards ensuring a more sustainable and green neighbourhood.

Details

International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, vol. 9 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8270

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 April 2010

Anthony Lewis and Pat Coulson

This article outlines the problem‐solving approach used by the Partnership Information Unit in Camden to direct and evaluate its local neighborhood policing initiatives. It…

Abstract

This article outlines the problem‐solving approach used by the Partnership Information Unit in Camden to direct and evaluate its local neighborhood policing initiatives. It demonstrates the methodology, strengths and benefits, as well as the implications for adopting the model. It also details an example of how this approach was used on a housing estate in Kentish Town, and the results. The Partnership Information Unit won a commendation in 2008/09 and a national award in 2009/10 from the Association of Crime Intelligence Analysts for its problem‐solving framework.

Details

Safer Communities, vol. 9 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-8043

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1997

In Soo Son, Chiu‐Wai Tsang, Dennis M. Rome and Mark S. Davis

Examines the relationship between the observation of police use of force and the subsequent evaluation of police performance. The data in this study were obtained from a random…

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Abstract

Examines the relationship between the observation of police use of force and the subsequent evaluation of police performance. The data in this study were obtained from a random sample of 992 Ohio citizens. Finds that the observation of police use of force that the respondents judged excessive had a significantly negative effect on their perception of police performance. The effect of this observation remained significant even after controlling for sociodemographic, experiential and neighborhood characteristics. Suggests that the police could substantially increase citizens’ satisfaction with their performance by reducing incidents and allegations of police misconduct.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 20 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 March 2010

Joanna Waters and Richard Neale

This study explored the neighbourhood‐level personal safety concerns experienced by older people living in socioeconomically deprived communities in South Wales. While there is a…

Abstract

This study explored the neighbourhood‐level personal safety concerns experienced by older people living in socioeconomically deprived communities in South Wales. While there is a wealth of criminological literature focusing on whether older people experience high levels of fear of crime, much of it conflicting in its conclusions, such studies tell us little about the social and physical cues for feelings of fear that are evoked in older people on a community level. To provide a richer understanding of these issues the study adopted a predominantly qualitative approach to identify community characteristics that shaped older people's views of personal safety. This was supplemented by quantitative data regarding their actual experiences of crime. The main finding was that personal safety concerns were overwhelmingly related to the social connotations of specific community locations, such as those associated with the presence and behaviour of perceived 'undesirable others', rather than specific locations themselves or their physical characteristics. This raises questions and challenges about the development of appropriate and effective crime and fear reduction strategies that enable older people to feel safer in their communities, and so facilitate their community engagement and social inclusion.

Details

Quality in Ageing and Older Adults, vol. 11 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1471-7794

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 May 2018

Teck Hong Tan and Ji Hei Lee

Many of the existing senior living accommodation options in Malaysia are ill-suited to the needs and requirements of seniors as they age further. To establish best practice…

Abstract

Purpose

Many of the existing senior living accommodation options in Malaysia are ill-suited to the needs and requirements of seniors as they age further. To establish best practice guidance to meet the housing needs for seniors, the purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of neighbourhood quality, locational and structural attributes on the likelihood of owning a retirement home among the young-old aged 60 to 74 years in Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, 300 young-old retirees from Greater Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were interviewed using purposive sampling. Only 240 were used for the analysis.

Findings

The results revealed that respondents are likely to own the retirement home which could support their overall health and well-being within a safe and supportive senior-friendly neighbourhood. Furthermore, respondents are willing to reside in the retirement home that is served with good access to amenities.

Research limitations/implications

The likelihood of young-old seniors adjusting their housing disequilibrium situation is higher as long as the right housing attributes are incorporated into the retirement home.

Practical implications

The results of this paper would be very pertinent for the development of the physical planning guidelines on settlements and facilities for the elderly in Malaysia.

Originality/value

With the change in cultural values, the increasing life expectancy in senior adult population and improved household income in Malaysia, there is great potential for purpose-built senior housing projects for seniors who need help with activities of daily living, but desire to live as independently as possible.

Details

International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, vol. 11 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8270

Keywords

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