Police violence occasioning citizen complaint - An empirical analysis of time-space dynamics

Violent, but non-lethal, encounters between police and civilians am an impo rtant yet neglected social problem. Even more neglected are the spatial and temporal dynamics of these events. The paper draws on Giddens's structurat ion theory to operationalize these variables and test their explanatory pow er. A multivariate analysis of data derived from citizen complaints files s hows that time-space variables are important predictors of the use of major physical force by police against civilians. An explanation for this result is developed using Giddens's concept of practical consciousness. The findi ngs of the paper suggest a need to redirect criminological and policing res earch towards the exploration of time-space environments.