title: Disorder affects judgements about a neighbourhood: police presence does not.
abstract: Many police forces operate a policy of high visibility in disordered neighbourhoods with high crime. However, little is known about whether increased police presence influences people's beliefs about a neighbourhood's social environment or their fear of crime. Three experimental studies compared people's perceptions of social capital and fear of crime in disordered and ordered neighbourhoods, either with a police presence or no police presence. In all studies, neighbourhood disorder lowered perceptions of social capital, resulting in a higher fear of crime. Police presence or absence had no significant effect. The pervasive effects of disorder above other environmental cues are discussed.
authors.affiliation: The Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR) , Amsterdam , The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, VU University, Amsterdam , The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Thomas V
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: Pollet
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle , UK.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nettle
keywords: Disorder; Fear of crime; Police visibility; Social capital