Measuring police role orientations in China: An exploratory study

This study aims to measure role orientations of Chinese police officers and explore how some demographic and work-related variables may influence their perceptions. Using survey data collected from 382 Chinese police officers training in a Chinese police university, this research empirically described police perceptions of their role of crime fighting and community service and examined the associations with demographic and work-related variables. Results suggest that most respondents believe that crime control is the most important responsibility of the police but half of the respondents also consider assisting citizens to be as important as crime control. Officers working in higher levels of police departments tend to be less characterized by a crime fighting mentality. However, some demographic and work-related variables were found to have only marginal influence upon police role orientations.