Background to the Research

• This report presents the findings from the sixth year of the Community Attitudes Survey (November 1997 - October 1998). The survey aimed to measure a broad range of attitudes towards crime, policing and the courts.
  

Research Approach

• The survey was designed to yield a representative sample of adults aged 16 and over living in Northern Ireland. Figures for the 1997/98 survey are based on 1416 interviews from a total allocation of 2400 addresses. Interviews were completed throughout the 12 month fieldwork period.
  

Main Findings

Perceptions of the Level of Crime

• As in previous years of the survey, most people believe that burglary (78%), vandalism (78%), mugging (96%), illegal drug abuse (66%) and car crime (75%) in their own area are uncommon. Protestant respondents (24%) were more likely than Catholic respondents (16%) to say that burglary in their area was common. Catholic respondents (20%) were more likely than Protestants (11%) to say that illegal drug abuse was common in their area. Just over two thirds of people thought that the level of crime in their area was about the same level as two years previously, while nearly one in five thought that there was more crime in their area.

Personal Fear of Crime

• Most respondents believe that they were unlikely to be a victim of burglary (79%), mugging (93%), home vandalism (89%), car theft (79%), theft from their car (79%) and vandalism of their car (80%). The vast majority of female respondents (95%) thought it unlikely that they would be raped or sexually assaulted.

Personal Precautions Taken Against Crime

• Protestant respondents were more likely than Catholic respondents to report the use of specific home security measures and to have the contents of their home insured against theft. The most commonly reported home security measures were double locks or deadlocks (46% of households), window locks (43%), indoor or outdoor lights on timer or sensor (32%) and burglar alarms (15%).
• Despite the steady increase in reported use of home security measures, 58% of respondents thought that it would be easy for a burglar to get into their home.
• The use of security measures in the car has also risen steadily over the six years of the survey. The most commonly reported car security measures were security coded radio or cassette players (59%), central locking (57%) and an immobiliser (46%).

Contact with the Police and reporting crime

• While around one in ten (12%) of respondents had been approached or contacted by the police in the previous 12 months, almost one third (31%) had themselves contacted the police. The most preferred method of contacting the police to report an ordinary crime, nuisance or disturbance, was an ordinary phone call. Using a telephone call in some form (either an ordinary phone call, '999' call or confidential call) would be the preferred choice of contacting the police in these situations by 83% of respondents. Just over one in ten (13%) would report an ordinary crime by visiting the police station in person.

Perceptions of the Police

• Around three quarters of people believe the police to be polite (77%) and helpful (76%) when dealing with ordinary crime.
• Just over two thirds (67%) believed the police to deal fairly with everyone compared to 72% in the 1996/97 survey. This was due to a drop in the perceived fairness of the police in dealing with ordinary crime in both communities.
• On all three measures (politeness, helpfulness and fairness), Protestants were more positive in their assessments than Catholic respondents. This community difference has been apparent and consistent through all six years of the survey. Around three quarters of (73%) believed that taking everything into account, the police to a good job in their area.

Responsibility for Police Complaints

• Most respondents (57%), although many more Protestants (66%) than Catholics (43%), said they would contact the local police station or officer if they wanted to complain about the way in which a police officer had behaved towards them or someone they knew. As in previous years of the survey, a large proportion of people (29%) did not know who was mainly responsible for looking into complaints against the police.
• The most commonly identified group in relation to responsibility for looking into police complaints was the Independent Commission for Police Complaints (28%). When asked, almost one third (32%) of people thought that a completely independent body outside the police should be responsible for looking into complaints about the police, while a further 18% specifically mentioned the Independent Commission for Police Complaints. Most people (72%) had heard of the Police Authority for Northern Ireland and of these people, around half (54%) though that the latter was part of the police.

Community Involvement in Policing

• The most frequently mentioned group or individual that respondents identified if they wanted to contact someone to see a general change in the way police do their job in the respondents area, was their Member of Parliament (28%). Just over one in five (22%) said that they would contact the local police station or officer while 15% of respondents did not know who they would contact if they wanted to see a general change in the way police do their job in their area.
• Nearly two out of five (38%), although more Protestants (42%) than Catholics (31%) said they would be interested in joining a local group meeting regularly with police regularly to discuss policing.
• The vast majority of respondents (94%) thought Community Police Liaison Committees were a good idea and that all communities should have such committees (89%).

Composition of the Police Force

• Most respondents (65% - 81% Catholics and 54% Protestants) believed that there are too few Catholic members of the police force in Northern Ireland. Most people (58%) thought that the police force in Northern Ireland tried equally hard to recruit from both sections of the community.
• The main reasons mentioned which people thought might deter Catholics from joining the police were the fear of intimidation or attack on them or their relatives; the fear of loss of contact with family and friends and pressure from other Catholics not to join.

The Courts and Criminal Justice System

• Less than one in ten (8%) had any contact with the courts in the previous 12 months. While two thirds (66%) said they did not understand well the way the courts work, most (88%) felt it was important for people to understand this.
• Most people (70%) expressed confidence in the fairness of the criminal justice system as a whole. However, most people also thought that miscarriages of justice do sometimes occur, that is, that innocent people can sometimes be found guilty (85%) and guilty people sometimes found innocent (92%).
• The majority of people (80%) thought that the two communities were treated equally by the courts in relation to people accused of non-terrorist crimes. In contrast, when asked about the treatment of the courts of people accused of terrorist or sectarian crimes, 68% thought that both communities were treated equally.
• Just over half (54%) thought that penalties handed out by the courts for non-sectarian crimes should be stiffer than at present. In relation to terrorist or sectarian crimes, nearly two thirds (64% - 64% Protestants and 47% Catholics), thought that the penalties handed out by the courts for these crimes should be stiffer than at present.
• Almost 49% (58% of Protestants and 35% of Catholics) thought that a life sentence for a terrorist crime should mean life. In relation to a life sentence for non-terrorist crimes, 41% (48% of Protestants and 31% of Catholics) thought a life sentence should mean life.