Advanced communications systems and reliance on patrol cars have meant that police officers are no longer isolated from their colleagues. However, this has resulted in rural police becoming distanced from the communities they serve. Results suggest that ‘multilateralised’ policing may provide an alternative to the traditional way of providing a visible presence on the streets and has gained widespread approval, particularly among those who were most concerned about public safety or had recent experiences as victims of crime. There was no evidence that the public were rejecting the police and looking to alternative forms of policing instead. What the public wanted was a return to the ideal of rural police services in the past. Taken together, these findings suggest that despite rural publics being somewhat more positive about the police than their urban counterparts, many residents are critical of the public police. This is a criticism of the way the police currently operate, rather than a criticism of the police themselves. In particular, residents want more contact with the police, both in terms of more foot patrols and easier access to their local police on the streets, in local stations, and through telephone access. Data were collected from audits of people in Cornwall carried out in 2001 and 2004. 7 tables, 11 notes, and 43 references