Surveying public attitudes towards police-perpetrated domestic violence: Does perpetrator occupation matter?
Police-perpetrated domestic violence (PPDV) has increasingly come to light over the past 30 years as a form of police misconduct. Given the importance of public attitudes for domestic violence prevention and for police–citizen relations, this study examined public perceptions of PPDV. Specifically,...
| Authors: | ; ; |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2025
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| In: |
International journal of police science & management
Year: 2025, Volume: 27, Issue: 4, Pages: 381-393 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Keywords: |
| Summary: | Police-perpetrated domestic violence (PPDV) has increasingly come to light over the past 30 years as a form of police misconduct. Given the importance of public attitudes for domestic violence prevention and for police–citizen relations, this study examined public perceptions of PPDV. Specifically, this research investigated whether a perpetrator's occupation as a police officer affects public views of domestic violence, to test whether police officers are held to a higher standard of conduct than people who are not police officers. The effect of perpetrator occupation on public perceptions of domestic violence was explored using survey data from a sample of 172 Australian respondents using a vignette design. Participants were randomly allocated to receive one of two vignettes depicting the same domestic violence scenario perpetrated by either a police officer (n = 91) or a person who is not a police officer (n = 81). Multivariate regressions revealed that, after controlling for relevant attitudinal factors and demographics, participants believed the police perpetrator should receive a longer custodial sentence, and was more deserving of dismissal from his occupation, compared with the non-police perpetrator. Though exploratory, the results of this study may inform criminal justice sentencing guidelines and institutional responses (such as occupational dismissal) to PPDV. |
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| ISSN: | 1478-1603 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/14613557251379252 |
