Community satisfaction with police service provision on Guam

Dr Loene Howes2, Dr Danielle Watson1, Ms Vanessa  Ryan1, Dr John  Rivera3, Dr Ronald McNinch3

1Queensland University Of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
2University of Tasmania, , Australia, 3University of Guam, Guam

Guam is a Pacific Island in Micronesia with a complex colonial history and present status as a territory and strategic military base of the United States. Like other Pacific Island Countries and Territories, policing in Guam is subject to influences from external stakeholders and budgetary limitations that impact the alignment of policing priorities with local needs. Research on community satisfaction with police service provision, largely from the global north, has provided insights into various characteristics of individuals, communities, and police encounters that predict satisfaction. Following the introduction of a community policing model on Guam, a study was conducted to explore satisfaction with policing in Guam, adding to research on this issue in the global south. Residents of Guam (n = 701) participated in a survey, which revealed generally low levels of satisfaction with police services. Here, we present the findings of the study including the most relevant predictors of satisfaction in the Guamanian context and discuss some promising avenues for enhancing community satisfaction with police service provision.


Biography:

Loene is a senior lecturer in Criminology and a senior researcher in the Tasmanian Institute of Law Enforcement Studies at the University of Tasmania. She undertakes applied and interdisciplinary research in policing, including policing in the Pacific and Australia’s role in international policing. Loene has a particular interest in how enhanced interagency, interdisciplinary, and intercultural communication can contribute to improved justice outcomes.

Danielle Watson is Senior Lecturer at the Queensland University of Technology, Australia. She conducts research on policing in small-island developing states with particular interests in police capacity building, police recruitment and training, police/civilian relations in Indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse communities, as well as many other areas specific to state security service provision.

Categories

Categories

Category