Perceptions of police among adolescents in Istanbul: An emphasis on interactions between demographic, police contact, neighbourhood safety and police perception

During the past three decades there has been increasing interest in the perception of police among adolescents. Despite their being disproportionately subjected to police contact and arrest, little is known about adolescents’ perception of police. The current study, using data collected through a questionnaire administered to a school-based sample of 1789 adolescents, examined the relationship between adolescents’ police perception and police contact, neighbourhood safety and demographic characteristics. The findings generally suggest that adolescents hold positive views toward the police. Consistent with the literature on adult perception of police, dimensions of police perception were extracted which coincided with competence, reliability and the police-citizen relationship. The current study found a strong relationship between neighbourhood safety, perceived social integration and all three dimensions of police perception that have appeared in previous studies of police perception among the adult population.