The Impact Of Homicide Upon Public Confidence And Reassurance
This research study investigates the impacts of homicides upon public confidence and reassurance. In particular it focuses upon how and why some crimes involving illegal death have a profound and widely distributed impact on how people think, feel and act in relation to their security, whereas other, ostensibly similar incidents, are far less consequential and cause less social harm. For the purposes of this study two key definitions are employed:
• Public confidence is conceived as a measure of perceptions, experiences and expectations of the police. • Reassurance measures broader levels of neighbourhood security.
The aim of this study is to provide an evidence base that can inform the development and improvement of current procedures for conducting community impact assessments. Based upon in-depth studies of community reactions following seven criminal homicides that varied in terms of their circumstances and situational contexts, the analysis identifies five ‘impact models’. These seek to capture the patterns present in relation to the breadth and depth..