Policing young people: can the notion of police legitimacy play a role?

Abstract

In the eyes of the public, police play an important role in combating crime and maintaining law and order. Yet, according to normative models of behavior, obedience to law is built more upon one’s trust in the agents of law enforcement than fear of police and the likelihood of their detecting one’s criminal activity. This article reviews recent findings relating to the theory of police legitimacy. It applies the theory to police-youth practises. It speculates upon which means of police-youth communication are likely to be most effective in fostering legitimacy, and offers strategies that may best advance it. It concludes that policy-makers ought to consider redirecting a portion of police resources away from practises, which have traditionally been regarded as ‘crime fighting’ and towards developing policies, that are aimed at enhancing value-based motivation in young people and developing their communication skills. It posits the view that building trust in the legal system and agents of the law from a young age can be a key to ‘crime control’ in both the short term (youth offending) and long-term (adult offending).