The Effects of Police Restorative Measures on Social Prevention of Crime with a Mediating Role of Trust Building (Case Study: Police Stations in Qom Province)

Restorative justice is a response and a reaction to an offense that focuses on the restoration and compensation of the victim and takes the responsibility for the damage caused by the victim. In order to realize this approach, it is necessary to pay attention to the variables that affect the improvement of police restorative measures. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the impact of police restorative measures on social prevention of crime with a mediating role of trust building. The present study is of a quantitative type and in terms of its objectives it is considered as an applied research type, and in terms of its nature, it is a correlational study. The statistical population of the present study is the directors of the police command center of Qom province. The sample size and sampling method were determined based on stratified random sampling method and 110 individuals were selected using Cochran formula. To measure the indicators, a 61-item researcher-made questionnaire was employed based on theoretical foundations. The reliability of the questionnaire was calculated by Cronbach's alpha (91%) and the validity of the components of this questionnaire was first examined by face validity and then by confirmatory factor analysis. To test the hypotheses, the mean tests and structural equation modeling were used in SPSS and Lisrel software packages.  The findings of the research indicate that police restorative measures have 63% direct effect on the social prevention of crime and 42% indirect effect through trust building. Meanwhile, trust building has 71% direct impact on the effect of police measures on social prevention of crime. Also, the restorative measures of the police can predict 75% of the changes in trust building. The results of the study showed that the direct and indirect effects of police restorative measures on social prevention of crime indicate that, in order to promote criminal measures against social crime prevention, not only the components and indicators of police restorative measures should be strengthened, but also some variables reinforcement such as trust, which are included in the study as a mediator variable, should be considered, reviewed and strengthened.