The effects of police vehicle presence on calls for service and police visibility: A multi-site field study at shopping malls in Canada

Shopping malls are significant hubs for people and social activities. Shopping malls are also often the sites of much crime. As part of the present research, we employed a field study paradigm to empirically assess the effects of police vehicle presence on calls for service and police visibility at shopping malls in Canada. During the intervention period, we parked randomly assigned police vehicles outside of shopping malls in three different cities during specified hours. We then compared the volume of calls for service received by the police during the intervention period to the weeks immediately before and after such period. We also compared self-reported sightings of police vehicles by mall patrons across periods. Our analyses revealed little effect of the presence of the police vehicle on calls for service at the shopping malls. However, our analyses did reveal some effects for police visibility: with variation in reported sightings of police vehicles by mall patrons across the study period. Policing the volume of activity at shopping malls – especially during the busy holiday shopping season – can present challenges for the police. Here we find that police vehicle presence impacts police visibility more than the number of calls for service received at a mall. We discuss the results from our multi-site, researcher-practitioner collaboration with respect to both policing research and practice. • Shopping malls are the sites of many people, social activities, and crimes. • We tested the effects of police vehicle presence on calls for service and police visibility at shopping malls in Canada. • During the intervention period, police vehicles were parked daily outside of the shopping malls in conspicuous locations. • Police vehicle presence impacted police visibility more than the number of calls for service received at the shopping malls. • Scholars should continue to evaluate the effects of police vehicle presence in more field settings.