| Abstract [eng] |
The efficient operation of the public sector, especially public safety, nowadays is gaining a lot of public interest. More and more attention is being paid to the citizens’ trust of the police and the evaluation of police behavior. The police system is a very important part of the public sector, inseparable from people's daily lives. It provides public services, which are concerned with the safety of the individual and the public, public order and law enforcement. The fluent implementation of police functions, responsiveness for citizens' expectations for high quality services and competent, conscientious specialists, would help to build citizens' trust in the institution. Citizens' trust index changes every year and is important for high-quality police work. There is a lack of studies analyzing in detail citizens' trust in the Lithuanian police and its changes during the defined period of 20082018. This period is important because there was a major breakthrough in the context of trust in the police: from 2008 to 2018 citizens' trust in the Lithuanian police changed significantly. So, the problem of the project: how did the trust of citizens in the police in 2008-2018 change and what factors caused it? The object of the project is citizens' trust in the Lithuanian police system. The aim of the project is to analyze changes in citizens' trust in the Lithuanian police system and identify the factors that influence it. Objectives of the project: 1. To analyze models of public confidence in the public sector; 2. Explain the concept and importance of trust in the police; 3. Identify changes in citizens' trust in the Lithuanian police over the period 2008-2018 and the factors influencing it; 4. To make recommendations for strengthening citizens' trust in the Lithuanian police. The project used the analysis of scientific literature to identify the general aspects of public confidence and the factors that influence citizens' trust in the police; secondary data analysis - to analyze changes in citizens' trust in the Lithuanian police and the factors affecting it; qualitative survey - to identify aspects of citizens' trust in the police and changes in police activities identified by police experts that led to a change in citizens' confidence in 2008-2018. The analysis of the scientific literature has established that the most important for trust in the public sector is institutional trust - trust in the transparency of the work of the institution, competences and results of work. The growing trust of citizens is important not only at the individual level but also at the societal level and allows the expansion and improvement of the public sector. Analyzing the features of trust in the police, it can be stated that the culture of trust in the society increases the sense of security, decreases the fear of crime, fluent cooperation between the police and the citizens and the easier explanation of criminal acts. It was found that trust in the police system is influenced by the competence and behavior of police officers, the nurturing of core values, the effective implementation of operational functions, the maintenance of authority, the absence of exclusion, and critical evaluation and prevention of corruption. Strategies for police actions clearly identify strategic goals to increase operational efficiency and increase citizens' trust in the police. Anti-corruption programs set goals that decrease corruption in the police system. After analysis of secondary data and qualitative expert survey, it was found that citizens' confidence in the police system increased during the period 2008-2018. In 2018 Lithuanian police ranked second among public sector institutions and 13th in the European Union. Factors affecting citizens' trust in the police system are: according to experts, citizens' trust in the police is positively influenced by the moral and ethical behavior of officers and the prevention of police corruption, and most negatively influenced by police officers' criminal activities and manifestations of corruption. Citizens believe that trust in the police is based on the quality and effectiveness of the police work, the morally and ethically committed police officers, the absence of exclusion and the intolerance of corruption. The results of the survey revealed areas of the Lithuanian police system that could be improved in order to increase citizens' trust in the police. Master's thesis consists of introduction, three parts, conclusions, recommendations, list of scientific literature, list of information sources and supplements. |
