New study confirms that despite declining trust, when people feel at risk they still turn to the police

27th January 2026Sarah Gibbons, Contributing Editor, Policing Insight

A new study by researchers from the ESRC Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre into when and why members of the public call the police has found that despite concerns over declining levels of trust, when people feel at risk or vulnerable they will still turn to the police for help – although improved availability of other agencies could help to reduce demand – as two of the report’s authors, Professor Ben Bradford and Dr David Rowlands, explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

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New study confirms that despite declining trust, when people feel at risk they still turn to the police

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