The people’s confidence in the police fell from 42.4% in December 2013 to 30% last November. The police rank fifth by the level of confidence they enjoy, after the church, the mass media, the mayor’s office and the army. The findings form part of the study “Police activity in the Republic of Moldova. Internal and external perceptions” that was carried out by the Institute for Public Policy (IPP). Opinion polls were conducted at national level, except for the eastern districts, among employees of the Ministry of the Interior and at border crossing points.
The survey among people showed that the level of confidence in the police subdivision is much greater than that in the police in general. Thus, about 75% of the respondents said that they have great confidence or a lot of confidence in rescuers and firemen. The sector police officers are trusted by about 49% of the people, while the border police by approximately 44%. The higher level of confidence is due to the fact that the people know better the work done by the given subdivisions.
The people consider the police corruption perception index increased by about 11% compared with 2013. Thus, about 74% of those polled think the police are corrupt or very corrupt. The border police, patrolling police and criminal police are considered the most corrupt police subdivisions. Asked where they would want to work, most of those surveyed said they would like to work in the border police. The rescuers/firefighters, carabineers and sector police are considered the least corrupt subdivisions of the police.
The people’s perception of the police and their behavior towards the public is rather negative. Almost half of the respondents didn’t agree with the assertion that the police are trying to meet the people’s needs and explain their actions and decisions to them. Over half of those questioned didn’t agree with the fact that the police treat the people with respect. At the same time, about 48% of the police officers surveyed within the internal poll said they consider the people are satisfied or very satisfied with the work of the police.
The study was conducted between October 1 and December 10, 2015, while the data were collected by quantitative and qualitative methods. The opinion poll covered a sample of 1 109 Moldovans older than 18. The internal poll within the police covered a sample of 555 employees of the Ministry of the Interior, while that carried out at border crossing points - 306 respondents.
