Community policing and the fear of crime: An assessment of the key assumptions

This study examines the relationship between two of community policing's assumptions and the fear of crime. It addresses four central questions: (1) Does increased visibility of the police reduces the fear of crime? (2) Are those citizens who are satisfied with police services and have confidence in their police less fearful of crime? (3) What effect does citizens' perceived risk of victimization have on citizens' fear of crime? These issues are explored using telephone survey data drawn from a random sample of the state of Florida (N = 3000). The study was conducted during the Fall of 1996; random digit-dialing techniques were used. Findings indicate that the visibility of the police does not matter in determining citizens' fear of crime. Those citizens who were satisfied with police services were less fearful; however whether citizens had confidence in their police was a consistent significant predictor of fear among whites and Hispanics but not among blacks. In addition, it was found that citizens' perceived risk of victimization had a positive effect on citizens' fear of crime. Moreover, the effects of citizens' confidence in the police variables and citizens' satisfaction with the police on the fear of crime are indirect and mediated by citizens' perceived risk of victimization.