Relation between police image and police visibility

The purpose of this study was to build a model for the public image and vis ibility of the police. These variables were seen as central to successful c ommunity policing, Explanatory variables included were contacts with the po lice, victimisation and background characteristics of the respondents. Ques tionnaire data were obtained from a sample of 3271 adults (mean age 42) and 986 youngsters (mean age 15.5) in two Finnish cities. Using multi-sample s tructural equation modelling, a four-factor model with two image factors (F riendliness and Closeness) and two visibility factors (Patrol-Car-Related a nd Police-on-Foot Activities) was confirmed by the data. As hypothesised, f or both adults and youngsters, seeing police-on-foot activities was positiv ely correlated with both image factors, while seeing Patrol-Car-Related Act ivities was negatively correlated with police image. Relationships of expla natory variables with image factors were to a large extent but not complete ly mediated by the visibility factors. Some differences were found between adults and youngsters in factor means and in regression relationships. Qual ity of police visibility proved to be an important factor from the point of view of community policing, in which one of the main purposes is to improv e the relationship between the police and the public. Copyright (C) 2000 Jo hn Wiley & Sons, Ltd.