Middlesex University Research Repository An open access repository of Middlesex University research http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk Hadjidemetriou, Michael (1995) Attitudes to the police and policing in contemporary Cyprus with particular reference to the dark figure of crime. PhD thesis, Middlesex University. [Thesis] Final accepted version (with author’s formatting) This version is available at: https://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/6881/ Copyright: Middlesex University Research Repository makes the University’s research available electronically. Copyright and moral rights to this work are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners unless otherwise stated. The work is supplied on the understanding that any use for commercial gain is strictly forbidden. A copy may be downloaded for personal, non-commercial, research or study without prior permission and without charge. 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See also repository copyright: re-use policy: http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/policies.html#copy ATTITUDES TO THE POLICE AND POLICING, IN CONTEMPORARY CYPRUS WrITI PARTICUI. AR REFERENCE TO THE DARK FIGURE OF CRIME MICHAEL HADRDEMETRIOU A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degreeof Doctor of Philosophy. MIDDLESEX UNIVERSEN MARCH 1995 In memory of Nicholas Hadjidemetriou I Michael Hadjidemetriou declare that this study "Attitudes to the Police and Policing in Contemporary Cyprus, with Particular Reference to the Dark Figure of Crime". is the result of personal effort and it has not been duplicated in any way or extracted from works of other authors. Michael Hadjidemetriou. CONTENIS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ABSTRACT ii INTRODUCTION THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES SCOPE AND AIN 10 OBJECTIVES 13 THE CYPRIOT SETTING 14 THE POLICE AND THE PUBLIC IN CYPRUS 34 ]METHODOLOGY 48 SURVEY PROCEDURE 58 DENOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS 71 PART ONE COMMUNIT'Y PERCEPTIONS OF POLICING CHAPTER ONE 1. ATTITUDES TO THE POLICE AND POLICING METHODS 1.1 SUMMARY 80 1.2 SOCIAL BOND WITH THE POLICE 80 1.3 FREQUENCY OF POLICE'S PRESENCE WITHIN NEIGHBOURROODS 85 Police's presence in the neighbourhood 85 Satisfaction of police work in the neighbourhoods 87 1.4 FREQUENCY OF PUBLIC CONTACT AND REASONS FOR THE ASSOCIATION WITH THE POLICE 88 Frequency of public contact and association with the police 88 Reasons of contact and association with the police 91 Level of satisfaction as a result of contact and association with the police 93 1.5 DISCUSSION 95 TABLES OF CHAPTER ONE 102 CHAPTER TWO 2. POLICE PERFORMANCE 2.1 SUMMARY 117 2.2 SCALING POLICE PERFORMANCE 117 2.3 SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING PERFORMANCE OF POLICE WORK 119 2.4 RESPONSE OF THE POLICE TO AN EMERGENCY SITUATION 120 2.5 SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING THE POLICE IMAGE 122 Perception of the police by the public as far as equal treatment is concerned 122 Ways in which the police mistreats the public 123 Scope for improvement 123 Areas in which the police should spend more time 124 Reasons why the police is not able to fulfil their task 125 2.6 DISCUSSION 126 TABLES OF CHAPTER TWO 132 CHAPTER THREE 3. IMAGES OF THE POLICE 144 3.1 SUMMARY 144 3.2 POLICING POLITICALl SOCIAL AND LABOUR DEMONSTRATIONS 144 Level of satisfaction from the personal perspective 144 Level of satisfaction out of awareness 147 3.3 POLICING OF EVENTS ACCORDING TO THEIR POLITICAL POLARISATION 148 Different policing method 148 Events in which the policing method is different 151 The reasons why the policing method is different 151 3.4 CREDIBILITY OF POLICING METHODS 152 Policing social, political and economic groups 152 Groups of people who receive different treatment from the police 154 Ways in which treatment by the police is different towards certain groups of people 155 3.5 DISCUSSION 155 TABLES OF CHAPTER THREE 162 PART TWO VICTIMIZATION AND REPORTING OF CRIME CHAPTER FOUR 4. AMOUNT OF VICTIMIZATION 174 4.1 SUMMARY 174 4.2 CASES OF VICTIMIZATION REPORTED ACCORDING TO THE CHARACTERISTICS OF VICTIMS 174 4.3 FORMS OF VICTIMIZATION REPORTED ACCORDING TO CHARACTERISTICS OF VICTIMS 179 4.4 VICTIMIZATION CONSIDERED AS CRIME AND REPORTED TO THE AUTHORITIES 180 4.5 REASONS FOR NOT REPORTING VICTIMIZATION TO THE POLICE 182 4.6 DISCUSSION 185 TABLES OF CHAPTER FOUR 204 CHAPTER FIVE S. UNREPORTED CRIME 217 5.1 SUMMARY 217 5.2 ESTABLISHMENT OF DARK FIGURE OF CRIME 217 Victimization occurring within the year before 217 Witnessed victimization occurring within the year before 218 Reporting relatives victimization cases occurring within the year before 220 Relatives victimization cases occurring within an unspecified period 220 5.3 REPORTING VICTIMIZATION CASES 221 Reasons for not reporting household offences 221 Reasons for not reporting personal offences 225 Reasons for not reporting other notifiable offences 228 5.4 REPORTING CRIME BY WITNESSES 229 Reasons for not reporting household offences 229 Reasons for not reporting personal offences 230 Reasons for not reporting other notifiable offences 231 5.5 REPORTING RELATIVES' VICTIMIZATION CASES 231 Reasons for not reporting household offences 231 Reasons for not reporting personal offences 232 Reasons for not reporting offences within an unspecified period 232 5.6 AMOUNT OF VICTIMIZATION CONSIDERED AS CRIMINAL AND REPORTED TO THE AUTHORITIES 233 5.7 DISCUSSION 234 TABLES OF CHAPTER FIVE 249 PART TBREE THE CYPRIOT PROFILE OF VIMNUZATION CHAPTER SIX 6. TOTAL AMOUNT AND PATTERNS OF CRIME IN CYPRUS 266 6.1 SUMMARY 266 6.2 AMOUNT OF CRIME EXISTING IN CYPRUS 267 Total amount of household offences 267 Total amount of personal offences 272 6.3 AMOUNT OF CRIME REPORTED TO THE AUTHORITIES 274 Amount of household offences reported to the authorities 274 Amount of personal offences reported to the authorities 277 6.4 REASONS FOR NOT REPORTING CRIME TO THE AUTHORITIES 278 6.5 DISCUSSION 280 TABLES OF CHAPTER SIX 288 CHAPTER SEVEN 7. CYPRIOT PATTERNS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF CRIMINALITY 291 7.1 SUMMARY 291 7.2 PERCEIVING THE AMOUNT OF CRIME BY THE PUBLIC 291 Evaluation of Criminality in Cyprus 291 Perceiving fluctuation of crime 292 Assumed reasons for the fluctuation of crime 296 Forms of crime which fluctuate 300 7.3 PERCEIVED REMEDIES TO THE CRIME ISSUE 319 7.4 DISCUSSION 322 TABLES OF CHAPTER SEVEN 338 CONCLUSION 349 APPENDICES BIBLIOGRAPHY 366 QUESTIONNAIRES A. Greek Version 397 B. English Version 405 Detailed analysis of responses per question 415 Forms of victimization per starting point 429 Number of victimization cases reported per starting point 450 Detailed figures of dark crime per starting point 471 ACKNOWLEDGENMW I wish to extend my sincere gratitude to Professor Geoff Dench and Professor Tony Vass of Middlesex University for their assistance and inspiration as well as their endless patience they have shown to me in the course of this study. I will also like to express my appreciation to Mr. Peter Kontolemis for the suggestions he had made when computing the results as well as the statistical analysis. In addition, many thanks to Mrs Athenoulla Uloupi and Miss Effi Panayi for typing the script. Finally, I wish to extend my gratitude towards Mr Andreas Drakos for editing this work. Finally, I like to express my love to Katinal Nicholas, George and Kyprianos for the support and understanding they have shown to me while working to complete this study. I ABSTRACr Cyprus suffered lanomiel on a grand scale more than twenty years ago, on account of the Turkish invasion of 1974. The effects on the social structure of Cypriot society were devastating. Most of the collective conscience which was responsible for the social order was disrupted. Inevitably, the traditional means of social control which depended primarily on informal social networks and the creation of a collective order were replaced by formal policing. This thesis attempts to offer an empirical account of the above social changes and the resultant changes in the modes of policing; and how Cypriot-society has replaced the lost collective conscience with alternative but complementary means of social control. High police density, strong social associations and the strength of kinship have contributed to the acceptance of the police and policing methods. Simultaneously, the public, through the social development of new social norms and moral codes, have determined the form and role of the police in Cypriot society. The partial destruction of the existing social contract and the inevitable development of anomie have introduced new parameters in deviancy and the process of social control in Cyprus. The new cultural and socioeconomic characteristics of Cyprus reflect the patterns and distribution of criminality. By and large, Cypriots do not report crimes and victimization to the authorities because they view cases as not just 'trivial' but also as something which could implicate them socially and personally. That is to say, despite the upheaval and social change which followed the 1974 invasion, there is still a very strong norm (which binds people together) about respect and self-esteem.