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Abstract

The key aim of this project is to explore how community confidence in the rural space is perceived by those who live and work in the countryside, and co-create recommendations for policy and practice change.

Description

Underlying rationale: Much of the evidence around rural community confidence in the police has thus far been anecdotal. Despite this, a similar pattern emerges: positive relationships with police and rural communities are crucial for effective law enforcement (Countryside Alliance, 2024; Government Events, 2024). However, over recent years this topic has come to the attention of a small number of rural researchers providing some rigorous evidence of the scale of the issue. Levels of confidence in the police remain low, with this affecting reporting of crimes in the rural space (Mulrooney et al., 2022; Smith, 2017). It is recognised that due to the issues of geography, organisational structure, and limited resources (Mulrooney et al., 2024) expectations among rural communities are low when it comes to police response and services. Much of the research that has been undertaken has been international in nature, with little focusing on England and Wales except for small samples or geographically focused projects (Mawby, 2004; Mulrooney et al., 2024; Smith, 2011). While these projects shed light on a range of perspectives in the discussion around rural community confidence, none have sought the lived experience of rural communities through extensive qualitative exploration, neither have they explored possible solutions in a participatory manner to inform policing practice and policy based on the needs of the end-user. This project will provide a proof-of-concept approach to this based across two police forces (4 counties).

Specific objectives of the project/activity: The key aim of this project is to explore how community confidence in the rural space is perceived by those who live and work in the countryside, and co-create recommendations for policy and practice change through three key objectives: 1. Explore any differences in crime experience and community confidence between urban and rural spaces through existing data (WP1); 2. Obtain lived experiences of rural residents relating to rural policing and confidence towards the police (WP2); 3. Co-create policy and practice recommendations for police and other key stakeholders (WP3-4).