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Crime News: A Police Press Office -- Police Perceptions

NCJ Number
149981
Journal
Police Journal Volume: 66 Issue: 3 Dated: (July-September 1993) Pages: 242- 255
Author(s)
G L Crandon
Date Published
1993
Length
14 pages
Annotation
After examining the role of the Press/Public-Relations Office (PRO) of British police authorities, this article surveys police attitudes toward PRO's.
Abstract
The article first examines crime news, including its conceptual underpinnings and relevance to police press offices. It then provides a brief account of the birth and development of the PRO in the South Wales Constabulary. Using the Annual General Reports of the South Wales Constabulary, the author measured the attitudes of chief constables to the PRO. Finally, perceptions of police attitudes to the PRO were measured through a questionnaire to police officers across ranks from constable to superintendent. The support of chief constables for a PRO, at least in South Wales, reflects the usefulness of the PRO for the South Wales Constabulary. PRO's may now be viewed as strategically important aspects of a modern police force, as they act as conduits for the release of information. One of the most significant conclusions to be drawn from the data is that the PRO has considerable support from the police officers of the South Wales Constabulary, and the support is apparently increasing. Even those officers who did not support the existing structure or function of the PRO did not favor its abolition. 11 figures and 10 references

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