The police and the local wardens : their perceptions of each other

Abstract

This brief study aims at exploring the different perceptions that the two law enforcement agencies, namely the police and the local wardens, have of each other. The researcher's hypothesis is that both entities have a negative perception of each other, possibly for the same or similar reasons. Since people's opinions stem from the culture they belong to, and since individuals having similar or identical jobs tend to share a similar culture (Paoline, 2001:8), law enforcement culture will be used as the basis of this study. Especially since no literature at all exists about the culture of local wardens, elements and characteristics of police culture will be explored and will be used to trace and possibly explain police-local wardens perceptions of each other. The author hopes that, by shedding light on how police officers and local wardens consider each other, she succeeds in somehow bringing these two entities (the Malta police force and local wardens) closer. The author believes that an enhanced collaboration between law enforcement organisations could lead to better policing performance which could, in tum, reduce crime and thus bring about a better quality of life for all Maltese citizens.