COVID-19 Health Measure Enforcement and Its Influence on Police Trust: Evidence from 15 African Countries

Abstract This study investigated the impact of police enforcement of COVID-19 health measures on public trust in law enforcement in 15 African countries. Utilizing Afrobarometer survey data, logistic regression analysis was employed to examine the relationship between police enforcement of pandemic protocols and citizens’ trust in the police, while accounting for various covariates related to COVID-19, police, neighborhood insecurity, and demographics. The findings reveal that police enforcement of COVID-19 measures had a small but significant positive influence on public trust, suggesting that citizens may have viewed these efforts as necessary and legitimate during the crisis. However, this positive impact was not uniform across all segments of society, with perceptions of police corruption, neighborhood insecurity, and certain demographic factors associated with lower trust levels. This study also highlights the complex interplay between pandemic knowledge, government response, and trust in the police, emphasizing the need for nuanced and transparent communication strategies during crises. Regional variations in trust levels across Africa underscore the importance of considering local contexts and histories when examining police-community dynamics. These findings have important implications for policy and practice, suggesting that efforts to build public trust must address systemic issues, such as corruption, community safety, and effective crisis communication, in addition to direct police actions. This study contributes to the understanding of the factors influencing public trust in the police during unprecedented circumstances and highlights the need for a multifaceted approach to maintaining positive police-community relations in the aftermath of major societal disruptions, such as COVID-19.