![\"Positive](\"https:\/\/universalauthority.com\/\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/shared\/police-4694777_1280.jpg\")
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Conspiracy theories targeting the police weaken trust between citizens and law enforcement, especially during tense events like protests. Recent research shows that positive interactions, whether direct or indirect, can mitigate these beliefs and limit the risk of violence.<\/p>\n
The findings reveal that people with frequent and positive contact with the police develop an increased perception of procedural justice\u2014that is, the impression that officers act fairly and respectfully. This trust, in turn, reduces anger toward law enforcement. Less anger and more trust decrease adherence to conspiracy theories about them. These beliefs, often fueled by distrust and emotion, can justify hostile behaviors, such as acts of violence during gatherings.<\/p>\n
A first study confirmed this link: participants who reported positive experiences with the police showed a decrease in violent intentions toward them during protest simulations. A second experiment tested the impact of short videos, shared on social media, depicting benevolent interactions between police and citizens. Participants exposed to this content expressed increased trust in procedural justice and reduced anger. These psychological changes, in turn, reduced their adherence to conspiracy theories and their intentions to resort to violence.<\/p>\n
These findings highlight the importance of positive encounters, whether in person or mediated. Direct contact is not always accessible to everyone, but media offers an effective alternative. Videos showing police acting with fairness and humanity can recreate the benefits of face-to-face interactions. They foster empathy and reduce prejudice, even without physical contact.<\/p>\n
Procedural justice, a key concept in this process, refers to the perception that decisions are made impartially and respectfully. When it is perceived as strong, it strengthens the legitimacy of the police institution and limits the appeal of conspiratorial narratives. Conversely, anger\u2014a powerful emotion linked to the perception of injustice\u2014fuels these beliefs and can lead to aggressive acts. The two mechanisms, cognitive and emotional, are therefore inseparable.<\/p>\n
The implications are clear: increasing opportunities for positive contact, whether through community programs, public forums, or media content, can durably improve relations between the police and citizens. These efforts could not only reduce tensions during protests but also strengthen daily cooperation. Social media, in particular, appears to be a powerful tool for spreading positive images and countering negative stereotypes.<\/p>\n
This approach is not limited to the police. Previous studies have shown that positive contact with other often-stigmatized groups, such as minorities or LGBTQ+ communities, also reduces conspiratorial beliefs about them. Applied to the policing context, this principle opens concrete avenues for easing tensions and building mutual trust.<\/p>\n
DOI:<\/strong> https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s11896-026-09826-1<\/a><\/p>\n Title:<\/strong> Can Contact Improve Police\u2013citizen Relations? Reducing Police Conspiracy Beliefs and Protest Violence<\/p>\n Journal:<\/strong> Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology<\/p>\n Publisher:<\/strong> Springer Science and Business Media LLC<\/p>\n Authors:<\/strong> Daniel Jolley; Matthew King-Parker; Christina Conolly; Eleanor Farmer; Martha Seeney<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Positive contacts with the police reduce conspiracy theories and violence during protests Conspiracy theories targeting the police weaken trust between citizens and law enforcement, especially during tense events like protests. Recent research shows that positive interactions, whether direct or indirect, can mitigate these beliefs and limit the risk of violence. The findings reveal that people… Continue reading Positive contacts with the police reduce conspiracy theories and violence during protests<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-human-humanitarian","category-justice-law","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/universalauthority.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/universalauthority.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/universalauthority.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/universalauthority.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/universalauthority.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/universalauthority.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30,"href":"https:\/\/universalauthority.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29\/revisions\/30"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/universalauthority.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/universalauthority.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/universalauthority.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}