Johnson, D., Maguire, E. R., & Kuhns, J. B. (2022). Can community policing reduce perceived disorder? Results from a quasi-experiment in Trinidad and Tobago. Policing & Society, 32(7), 911-930. https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2021.1998048
Abstract:
This impact evaluation tests the effects of community policing, with an
emphasis on problem-oriented policing, on perceived social and
physical disorder in a disadvantaged Caribbean community. We use a
pre-post, quasi-experimental design with two groups. The data include
three waves of citizen surveys carried out in both groups. We use
outcome measures developed from exploratory and confirmatory factor
analysis and a difference-in-differences approach to compare changes
in perceived social and physical disorder over time between residents in
the treatment and comparison areas. Both the treatment and
comparison areas experienced statistically significant small to modest
reductions in perceived social and physical disorder between wave 1
(2006) and wave 2 (2007); the decrease was more pronounced in the
treatment area. No significant changes in perceived social or physical
disorder occurred between wave 2 (2007) and wave 3 (2008). Item-level
analyses indicated that the composite measures of disorder masked
important changes at the item level. The results suggest that
community policing with a problem-solving approach can improve
residents’ perceptions of social and physical disorder. The findings
highlight the need to consider the nature of the community policing
intervention and the quality and dosage of its implementation.
Year: 2022
Language: English
Type: Journal article
Topic: Caribbean criminology, Policing
Methodologies: Longitudinal model