| Under the community policing philosophy, reducing citizen fear of crime has become a legitimate objective for police. Using the Twelve Cities Survey, a 1998 supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey, this study examines the relationship between citizen perceptions of community policing and fear of crime including other factors such as satisfaction with police and crime prevention behaviors by citizens. It is found that citizen perceptions of community policing have a weak negative relationship with fear of crime, however, this relationship is mediated by satisfaction with police. Citizens who have high perceptions of community policing activity also have greater levels of satisfaction with police that may subsequently be related to decreased levels of fear. |
Updated 05/20/2006