Relationship with the public

As the relationship between the police and some of the groups they encounter has become more strained, officers now find themselves regularly being filmed during encounters, which operates as a form of informal accountability. This symbolises a rift and potential lack of trust between the public and the officers that they film. Although this can be perceived as an alternative way of ensuring accountability and legitimacy outside of that provided by formal structures, being watched by the public is an additional pressure on officers. Research has found that this is something that officers encounter regularly as part of their role,99 with many officers stating they find it anxiety-provoking as they do not always know why it was being done, or for what purpose the material may be used. There are also concerns that filming is designed to deliberately provoke officers. Constant scrutiny and worry about perceived behaviour may undermine officers’ own feelings of legitimacy and may demonstrate that they do not have such legitimacy in the eyes of those who are filming them. Research has also shown that officers who feel they have the support of the public consistently express more confidence in their own authority.100 However, officers state that their relationship with the public has become increasingly strained, with 84% stating that treatment by the public had a negative impact on their morale,101 and 78% stating they did not feel like members of the public respected the police. Additionally, 32% stated a member of the public has threatened to cough on them since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 24% stating that they have actually done so. In addition, 83% of officers in front line roles state that they had been the victim of an unarmed attack over the previous 12 months. Overall, the pressures of a reduced budget, increasing demand both in terms of complexity and resource intensity, coupled alongside the changing relationship with the public and highprofile instances of misconduct, may all impact on and potentially damage the relationship that officers have with those they police.