Downsizing and recovery: Perceived quality of police services in Finland before, during, and after three major police management reform programs

Abstract

This study analyses the effects of three major police management reform programs on the perceived quality of police services in Finland. Downsizing in the early 2010s, and recovery of the number of personnel of the police towards the end of the 2010s, were notable over the police management reform years. The study is based on the analysis of three quality indicators from cross-sectional Police Citizen Surveys (1999–2020). We find that the reform period had a significant impact on the perceived quality of police services: negative in the early 2010s, and positive in the late 2010s. Respondents’ emergency response time estimates as well as perceived effectiveness of crime reporting deteriorated during the police management reform period. Since then, they have recovered. Policy-wise we conclude that in labor-intensive services such as policing management reform programs associated with downsizing constitute a real hazard, reducing, almost inevitably, the volume and the accessibility of services.