Purpose

Neighbourhood policing is central to supporting public confidence in England and Wales. However, the delivery of neighbourhood policing models is increasingly fragmented and under pressure from austerity measures and from changes to demand and priorities. This research aims to understand the current state of neighbourhood policing in the county of “Rackhamshire” and its ability to support public confidence.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted six focus groups, three with officers who were part of Community Policing Teams (CPTs) and three with members of the community who were actively engaged with community policing and local concerns. These were supplemented by two interviews with senior officers (35 participants in total).

Findings

Austerity-driven changes to policing in Rackhamshire have damaged the capacities of CPTs and residents have begun to lose confidence in the ability of the police to respond to their fears. The authors argue that reforms intended to make policing more efficient and effective appear to have the opposite effect on community policing, by preventing it from working in a way that can support public confidence and that this could have longer-term consequences.

Originality/value

The effects of austerity on the mechanisms by which neighbourhood policing supports confidence have been relatively neglected. By exploring the state of these mechanisms in one English constabulary, this research has exposed serious weaknesses in the way that community policing is able to support public confidence and suggests practical operational responses. In light of these findings, this study argues for the urgent reinstatement of earlier models of neighbourhood policing.

中文翻译：

---

通过在拉克姆郡提供改进的社区警务来恢复公众信心

目的

社区治安对于支持英格兰和威尔士的公众信心至关重要。然而，邻里警务模式的交付越来越分散，并受到紧缩措施以及需求和优先事项变化的压力。这项研究旨在了解“拉克姆郡”县的社区警务现状及其支持公众信心的能力。

设计/方法/方法

作者进行了六个焦点小组，三个是社区警务小组 (CPT) 的官员，三个是积极参与社区警务和当​​地问题的社区成员。此外，还对高级官员进行了两次访谈（共 35 名参与者）。

发现

紧缩驱动的拉克姆郡警务改革损害了 CPT 的能力，居民开始对警方应对恐惧的能力失去信心。作者认为，旨在提高警务效率和效力的改革似乎对社区警务产生了相反的影响，因为它阻止了社区警务以支持公众信心的方式运作，并且这可能会产生长期后果。

原创性/价值

紧缩政策对社区治安支持信心机制的影响相对被忽视了。通过在一名英国警察中探索这些机制的状态，这项研究揭示了社区警务能够支持公众信心并提出切实可行的行动应对方式的严重弱点。鉴于这些发现，本研究主张紧急恢复早期的邻里警务模式。