Police and the Public in England and Wales. Home Office Research Study No. 117.
London: HMSO, 1990.
This report examines the extent of public contact with police, and some of the consequences of their
encounters. It is based on the findings of the third sweep of the British Crime Survey (BCS), which was
conducted in February and March of 1988. Police are the most visible agency of local government. The BCS
indicates that in a little over a year almost 60 percent of the adult population has some occasion to come
into contact with them. One chapter examines the reasons why people contact the police, including to report
crimes, and their satisfaction with the service they received. Another chapter details who gets stopped by
the police, what happened during those encounters, official complaints lodged against police, and the
effects of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE). Further chapters examine crime reporting and
stepping forward to serve as a witness. Unlike some other agencies, police depend upon the active
cooperation of the public to get their job done. They need to be notified promptly of crime and other
emergencies, and members of the public must be willing to step forward when they have information which
would be useful in their investigations. Therefore, when the public think of the police is of more than casual
interest. They care about the quality of policing. Most have at least some basis for making a judgment about
police performance, and the police need their confidence. However, while the public has a great deal of
confidence in the police, there is also some reason for concern about the direction in which opinion is
moving.
London: HMSO, 1990.
This report examines the extent of public contact with police, and some of the consequences of their
encounters. It is based on the findings of the third sweep of the British Crime Survey (BCS), which was
conducted in February and March of 1988. Police are the most visible agency of local government. The BCS
indicates that in a little over a year almost 60 percent of the adult population has some occasion to come
into contact with them. One chapter examines the reasons why people contact the police, including to report
crimes, and their satisfaction with the service they received. Another chapter details who gets stopped by
the police, what happened during those encounters, official complaints lodged against police, and the
effects of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE). Further chapters examine crime reporting and
stepping forward to serve as a witness. Unlike some other agencies, police depend upon the active
cooperation of the public to get their job done. They need to be notified promptly of crime and other
emergencies, and members of the public must be willing to step forward when they have information which
would be useful in their investigations. Therefore, when the public think of the police is of more than casual
interest. They care about the quality of policing. Most have at least some basis for making a judgment about
police performance, and the police need their confidence. However, while the public has a great deal of
confidence in the police, there is also some reason for concern about the direction in which opinion is
moving.
Contacts Between Police and The Public: A British Crime Survey Report. Home
Office Research Study No. 135. London: HMSO, 1994.
This report presents some of the findings of the 1992 British Crime Survey (BCS) about people’s
experiences of and attitudes toward the police. In all, 54 percent of those interviewed recalled some
encounter with the police during the previous year. About a third of respondents had contacted the police
about some matter, 20 percent had been stopped or investigated in some way, and 14 percent had been
visited by police who were rendering them some service. The report describes the reasons why people
contacted the police, and the circumstances under which the police stopped and questioned members of
the public. It also describes what happened during these encounters, and people’s assessments of how
the police had done their job. There is a discussion of trends in public satisfaction, and of complaints
initiated against the police. Another chapter examines in details the factors that lie behind the reporting of
crimes to the police. The report concludes that reporting is strongly linked to the seriousness of crime,
race, victim-offender relationships, fear of reprisal, and insurance coverage.
Office Research Study No. 135. London: HMSO, 1994.
This report presents some of the findings of the 1992 British Crime Survey (BCS) about people’s
experiences of and attitudes toward the police. In all, 54 percent of those interviewed recalled some
encounter with the police during the previous year. About a third of respondents had contacted the police
about some matter, 20 percent had been stopped or investigated in some way, and 14 percent had been
visited by police who were rendering them some service. The report describes the reasons why people
contacted the police, and the circumstances under which the police stopped and questioned members of
the public. It also describes what happened during these encounters, and people’s assessments of how
the police had done their job. There is a discussion of trends in public satisfaction, and of complaints
initiated against the police. Another chapter examines in details the factors that lie behind the reporting of
crimes to the police. The report concludes that reporting is strongly linked to the seriousness of crime,
race, victim-offender relationships, fear of reprisal, and insurance coverage.
British Policing
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