Regional inequality in citizens’ attitudes towards the police and the effect of stop-and-search

Abstract Most previous research on inequality in policing has been limited to race and gender. To widen the knowledge of inequality in policing, this study took note of the location as a novel domain based on varying crime rates by area. The data for the study were drawn from the Crime Survey for England and Wales in 2007–2008 and 2017–2018. Also, it used the stop-and-search data from 2015 to 2018 and the key facts and figures taken from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). The study has been structured into two models. Model 1 examined if there are differences between regions in citizens’ attitudes towards the police in England. It used one-way analysis of variance as a statistical technique and analysed the effect of the region (independent variable) of England on citizens’ attitudes towards the police (dependent variable). Model 2 analysed the effect of several factors: The stop-and-search rate, residential population, police office size, and budget on citizens’ attitudes towards the police to find causes of the differences in the attitudes by region using simple linear regression. The study found that there were spatial differences in citizens’ attitudes towards the police between regions. In addition, surprisingly, the stop-and-search per 1,000 people had a positive effect on citizens’ attitudes towards the police, which contrasted with previous research suggesting a negative effect of stop-and-search on public support. However, the other factors: Population, police office size, and budget did not affect citizens’ attitudes towards the police. In conclusion, there is regional inequality in public opinion of policing, and the public opinion of the police is positively affected by the number of police use of stop-and-search.