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Anomie and authority how global events are reshaping public interactions with law enforcement (1)912.62 kB
Published Version (Advanced Access)CC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Anomie and authority: how global events are reshaping public interactions with law enforcement
Police Practice and Research, Vol.Advanced access
2025
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
This study explores differences in the characteristics of assaults against police in Australia between relatively stable (2010–2020) and disruptive (2020–2024) periods to consider whether anomie may help explain any observed changes in offender behaviour. Descriptive analysis of 172 cases reveals a notable increase in young offenders and assaults triggered by personal crises during the disruptive period. Intentional assaults also rose sharply, suggesting heightened aggression and deliberate confrontations. However, despite increased intentionality, the severity of assaults, including the use of force and resulting injuries, did not escalate. These findings suggest that social instability intensifies frustration and aggression toward police but does not necessarily lead to more severe outcomes. The study highlights the importance of targeted policing practices, such as crisis intervention and youth-specific strategies, to manage aggression during periods of social upheaval.
Details
- Title
- Anomie and authority: how global events are reshaping public interactions with law enforcement
- Authors
- Hena Prince - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and SocietyKelly Hine (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and SocietyCatherine Creamer - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and Society
- Publication details
- Police Practice and Research, Vol.Advanced access
- Publisher
- Routledge
- DOI
- 10.1080/15614263.2025.2548270
- ISSN
- 1477-271X; 1561-4263
- Copyright note
- © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Law and Society
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991154340202621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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