Investigating the impacts of citizens’ mental patterns onthe level of public trust in the police(Case study: Tehran city)

Police forces are recruited from among people with certain characteristics, and police always seek to further equip officers with suitable characteristics to maintain security. Various issues such as acting in compliance with the law, providing security, and treating people fairly; altogether create trust, which is a capital for maintaining unity in social systems and fostering democratic values. Creating a positive and influential image for this organization is important; because the police need the citizens to accompany it; and establishing order and security without the collaboration of the society members could be difficult. Awareness of the mentality of the individuals in society plays a significant role in police performance, and given the importance of the two concepts of the citizens’ mental model and public trust in the police, the present research has investigated the mutual impacts of these two on each other.

The research is of applied type in terms of purpose and descriptive-survey type. The statistical population of the research includes people living in Tehran. Using Cochran’s formula for an unlimited population, 384 people were selected as a sample. The research tool included a questionnaire of citizens’ mental patterns and public trust in the police, whose validity and reliability have been confirmed.

The results show that the components of citizens’ mental patterns have a significant impact on public trust in the police, and the component of the security model has the greatest impact on public trust in police, and given the degree of effectiveness in public trust in police, the components are respectively the functional model, ethics and professionalism.

The studied sample has a positive view of the police and the image of the police is neither neutral nor negative. To gain more public trust, the police need to pay attention to the components of citizens’ mental patterns.