Citation

Bailey C. Wadabagei 2007; 10(1): 24-43.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Rowman and Littlefield Publishing Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Examines how forces within a high-crime inner-city community in Kingston heighten the perception of fear among the police working in it. Author explains how this fear, and associated tensions of working under stress, can impair judgment and restraint of police officers, in turn contributing to the relatively high rates of lethal shootings by the police in Jamaica, and eventually negative views on the police in the community. He further studies this by focussing on the policing in a specific low-income inner-city community in Kingston, known for its frequent violent activity and presence of arms, mostly related to disputing gangs. He analyses how the high crime rate in this community is influenced by social exclusion, fragmentation, poverty, unemployment, and bad physical conditions. He further examines views on the police among its residents, and of police officers on (working in) the community. Author concludes that the police officers do experience fear and intimidation when working in the community, due to several threats and conditions, and that in part in response to this rough force was used in actions and raids. He shows how this further increased resentment against the police in the community. This partly causes the limited effective cooperation with the police of the community, which is also intimidated due to possible retaliation by criminals against reporters in the community.