VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE 1 What are the Principal Determinants Associated with Volunteering at a Community Policing Centre? Sayk’pru Say Bachelor of Law Enforcement, Justice Institute of British Columbia Author Note Portions of these findings were presented as a poster to the Justice Institute of British Columbia. This paper was completed for LAWS 4003: Research Project, taught by Kelsea Perry, and graded by Amy Severson. Submitted March 28, 2025. VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE 2 Abstract Every community is unique, requiring their Community Policing Centres (CPCs) to establish programs that promote safety, enhance the relationship between the police and the community, and strengthen the quality of life in their respective community. For a CPC to reach their goals and aims, they need connections and partnerships from their community members and other organizations such as non-profit and profit organizations for support and assistance. Although the core programs vary from one CPC to another CPC, each CPC creates or adopts programs that can aid them in meeting their goals. Within each CPCs, they require volunteers to support the CPC, ensure that the operations go smoothly, and to reach the mission of their respective CPC. Volunteers are the backbone of a successful and reputable CPC because they create a positive impact and make a difference in the respective community. This study uses secondary data analysis from a variety of previous research in hopes of identifying why people volunteer with a CPC. The limitations of this study include time and data. There is a lack of study, specifically in Canada. The findings show the benefits of volunteering at a CPC and the potential challenges that people may encounter volunteering with a CPC. This study is significant as it highlights the main determinants of why people volunteer at a CPC and provides invaluable recommendations for people to volunteer in their community a CPC or in their respective CPC. Keywords: volunteering, community policing centre, community participation, collaborative efforts, CPC programs, volunteer perceptions, Robert Peel VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE 3 Table of Contents Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………... 2 Background………………………………………………………………………………………. 5 Aims and Purpose of the Study………………………………………………………………… 6 Research Questions…………………………………………………………………………….. 6 Worldview……………………………………………………………………………………... 6 Scope of the Study……………………………………………………………………………... 7 Significance of Study…………………………………………………………………………... 7 Literature Review………………………………………………………………………………… 8 Literature Review Methodology……………………………………………………………….. 8 Literature Analysis……………………………………………………………………………... 9 Design and Methodology……………………………………………………………………….. 12 Data Collection……………………………………………………………………………….. 13 Data Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………. 14 Findings………………………………………………………………………………………… 16 Thematic Analysis……………………………………………………………………………. 16 Trust…………………………………………………………………………………………... 16 VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE 4 Change………………………………………………………………………………………... 17 Relationship…………………………………………………………………………………... 18 The Benefits of Volunteering at a CPC or Within a Police Service…...…………..…………. 18 The challenges of Volunteering at a CPC or Within a Police Service and Challenges for CPCs…………………………..………………………………………………………………. 19 Why Do People Volunteer at a CPC or Within a Police Service…………………………….... 20 Discussion………………………………………………………………………………………. 21 Lack of Research……………………………………………………………………………… 21 Limitations……………………………………………………………………………………. 22 Recommendations………………………………………………………………………………. 22 Community Members………………………………………………………………………… 23 Future Research………………………………………………………………………………. 23 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………… 24 References………………………………………………………………………………………. 26 VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE 5 Background The police continue to combat complex challenges such as improving public trust, connecting with the community, and police legitimacy. Volunteers play a vital role in tackling these complex challenges. O’Connor and Pepper (2024) said it best when they said, “volunteers are seen as a bridge between local communities and policing, enhancing the services’ local legitimacy.” The police and volunteers work together in hopes to improve public trust, connecting with one another, and public safety and quality of life for all persons within the community. Sir Robert Peel developed nine principles that guide, and influence police work two centuries ago, which continue to be used in the modern day (Moore, 2015). In 1829, Sir Robert Peel forwarded his case to the London Metropolitan Police (the Met) for police work in keeping law and order among the civilian population, instead of relying on the military to keep law and order (Moore, 2015). Sir Robert Peel was able to convince the British Parliament to use his ideas, and until now, his nine principles are still being used today. Sir Robert Peel played a vital role in the establishment of Community Policing Centres (CPCs). CPCs are a crucial part of community engagement and the creation of crime prevention programs. Moreover, CPCs addresses local crime and safety concerns in their respective neighbourhoods (Vancouver Police Department, n.d.). Two of the nine Sir Robert Peel’s principles will guide this paper in exploring the principal determinants associate with volunteering at CPCs: The ability of the police to perform their duties is dependent upon public approval of police existence, actions, behaviour, and the ability of the police to secure and maintain public respect… (Moore, 2015, p. 54) VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE 6 The police at all times should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public, and that the public are the police; the police are the only members of the public who are paid to give fulltime attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interest of the community welfare. (Moore, 2015, p. 54) Aims and Purpose of this Study This paper aims to identify the primary determinants associated with volunteering at community policing centers by reviewing literature from a diverse pool of literature. The purpose of this research is to determine who volunteers, the benefits of volunteering at CPCs, and the volunteer perceptions of volunteering within police service. Research Questions The main research question is: what are the principal determinants associated with volunteering at CPCs? Three sub-questions will be considered and/or addressed: 1. Who volunteers? 2. How beneficial is it to volunteer at CPCs? 3. What are the volunteer perceptions of volunteering within police service? Worldviews The worldview for this research study is a pragmatic worldview. John Dewey was a key figure in the development of pragmatism. John Dewey focuses on how ideas worked in real-life situations rather than abstract theories (Philosophy Encyclopedia, n.d.). John Dewey believed VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE 7 that truth is not fixed or absolute but evolves through experiences and interactions with the world (Philosophy Encyclopedia, n.d.). In addition, John Dewey believed that people continuously learn and adapt which helps polish both thoughts and behaviour and therefore, thought is a tool for solving problems, focusing on the action that ideas should be assessed and understood based on how well it helps individuals to achieve their goals. Pragmatic worldviews connect to Sir Robert Peel’s principle that the police at all times should maintain a relationship with the public as the police are the public and the public are the police because they highlight that understanding and action are connected, with the purpose of improving how individuals and societies operate. Scope of the Study The scope of this study is to take the first step of recognizing how volunteering with a CPC can increase trust and collaboration between the police and the community, with the aim of maintaining police legitimacy. This study’s scope will include examining the reasoning behind volunteering with a CPC or within a police service and to identify how Sir Robert Peel’s principle of the police are the public and the public are the police can enhance the collaboration between the police and the community from volunteering. Furthermore, it is to identify knowledge and truth through experiences and interactions with the world from volunteers. Significance of Study This research study is significant because it expands the understanding of volunteering in a CPC or within a police service and provides attainable recommendations for future researchers and for the community members. The data derived from the literature review demonstrate that volunteers are the bridge between the police and the community, although challenges arise. As VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE 8 per John Dewey’s philosophical perspective (Kaushik and Walsh, 2019), experiences and ideas can solve real-world problems because firsthand experiences and ideas play a vital role in obtaining knowledge and understanding. Literature Review The primary aim of this literature review is to identify the principal determinants associated with volunteering with CPCs or within police services. Secondarily, to evaluate who volunteers, the benefits and challenges associated with volunteering, and volunteer perceptions toward volunteering. The sub-questions will be considered and/or addressed throughout the literature review. Two of Sir Robert Peel’s principles guide the data collection process. Literature Review Methodology Searches for this literature review focused on finding sources that lead to answering the main research question and sub-questions. Searches were conducted through the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) library and Google Scholar, with additional searches from web-based websites to help identify the most relevant articles by using JIBC library and Google Scholar’s article databases. Twenty-six articles were identified for abstract review and eight articles were selected for full review and final analysis as demonstrated in Table 3. The selected eight articles were chosen to identify the answers to the research questions and to explore the relevance of data associated with volunteering and policing. Of the eight chosen sources, the majority of sources are the study of understanding the motivations associated with volunteering. The other articles are assessment and exploration of the collaboration between the police and the public, and the citizens’ perceptions toward Community Policing. VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE 9 Literature Analysis Ren et al. (2006) conducts their study to find the primary determinants that contribute to becoming a volunteer in crime prevention programs. This study exhibits citizen volunteering is not only influenced by gender, but it is also correlated with community context. Citizens who believe that crime in their communities is getting worse are more likely to become volunteers in crime prevention. Furthermore, this study displays that citizens’ political viewpoints contribute to becoming volunteers in terms of their attitude toward local police and their level of confidence in their local institutions and public officials. This study is significant as it expresses that people volunteer with a CPC or within a police service because they want to make a positive impact in their community and the desire to help others. Citizens are more likely to be concerned about the collective wellbeing of their respective communities, leading them to volunteer. Liederbach et al. (2007) conducted a study comparing the views of citizens and officers on the importance of crime problems, the value of community policing programs, and the implementation and continued acceptance of community policing. This study found that officers and citizens are divided in their evaluation of the importance of specific crime problems, the value of community policing programs, satisfaction of department performances, and in their evaluation of improvement strategies. This study demonstrates the value and importance of particular community-oriented policing and highlights the views of officers and citizens. Social disorder in a neighbourhood and a desire to do something about it tend to motivate citizens to become volunteers. Lee and Zhao (2015) article, “Disentangling the myth about citizen participation in collaborative work with police,” focused on citizen participation in police VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE 10 work by understanding the difference between volunteers and general citizens. It used a random sample of general citizens as a comparison group. This study proved that satisfaction with the police services was the only contributor that had a direct impact on attitudes toward the police in volunteer groups. This article connects to this research’s questions by exploring the primary determinants for citizens to collaborate with the police. Citizens’ perceptions of their local police may exert considerable influence on their decisions to become volunteers. Westall’s (2021) article, “Exploring the Contribution and Relationship to Policing and Community Safety of Volunteer Street Patrols,” aims to explore Volunteer Street Patrols (VSPs) and their contribution towards policing and community safety. The data derived from an ethnographic study showing the actions, contribution, relationships, and motivations of VPSs in a northern city in the UK from 2016 to 2017 (Westall, 2021). This article finds that VSPs is a unique source of support to the police because the volunteers help those in need through providing care, compassion, and prevention. This article is useful to this research due to its extended exploration of finding the relationship and contribution of VSPs to the police and the community. According to Len et al. (2006), volunteerism in policing has been on the rise. Blumberg et al. (2020) assessed the motivations of volunteers, specifically senior volunteers. This assessment finds that the primary motivations for volunteering were Values and Altruism. Furthermore, motivations differed by gender and ethnicity. Women were more likely motivated than men by Values, Understanding, and Enhancement (Blumberg et al., 2020). White respondents were less motivated than non-white respondents. Non-white respondents were motivated by Protective Factors, Social, and Enhancement. This study is significant because the findings can help CPCs or police services understand the main principle associated with becoming a volunteer. VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE 11 Strudwick et al. (2017) conducts an exploratory discussion on a study of police volunteering; evaluating the effectiveness of the Volunteer Police Community Support Officers (VPCSOs) in increasing community connectivity and meeting public demands for visibility policing. Furthermore, this study explores the principal determinants associated with volunteering as VPCSOs. This study proves that VPCSOs were motivated to volunteer to reach their career goals, using this opportunity as a stepping stone to become Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) or Police Constables. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that motivations were not solely self-interest with most volunteers seeing their role as providing a service to the police force and community, making a difference to local communities. This study is vital in understanding the principal determinants contributing to volunteering. Sir Robert Peel introduced community policing during the 19 century, with the concept of th “the police are the public and the public are the police” (Moore, 2015). The key principle of community policing is that the police maintain excellence in community policing, aiming at creating partnership between them and the communities. Nyaura and Ngugi (2014) conducts a special study of the benefits and challenges emanating from Community Policing in Kenya from a criminological perspective, with hopes that stakeholders find ways of ensuring that policies on community policing reflect the needs and aspirations of all the citizens in all regions in the country. This study is significant as it has considerable influence to address community policies to reflect the needs and aspirations of all citizens. The services provided by the Community Policing is critical, including how the volunteers assist and guide citizens for services. CPCs need volunteers for support and collaboration with the public. “Perceptions of service provided by South African police service community service centres” by Mason et al. (2021) investigated citizens’ perception of the service experienced when VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE 12 visiting Community Service Centres of the South African Police Service. The study focuses on why and how the CSC was visited, visitors’ perceptions, and to determine whether these perceptions differed according to different demographic factors. Furthermore, this involved reasons for attending the CSC, knowledge of the service, location, time, and overall satisfaction. The researchers’ expectations of the outcomes testify that the quality of the interaction between the people and the CSC staff is more important for perceived satisfaction with the service than the outcome of the policing action. This is evidence that the interactions between individuals and the staff at CPCs is paramount as it impacts their experiences and overall satisfaction. Design and Methodology This study research used qualitative and secondary research design and collected data by using secondary data analysis techniques. Ishtiag (2014) shared his review on a research design book by John Creswell by sharing that qualitative research is an approach for exploring and identifying the meaning of individuals or groups to a human or social problem. This study selects qualitative data for data collection. Furthermore, this study uses thematic analysis to enable generation of themes. The three sub-questions guided the data collection and analysis processes. Inclusion and exclusion as demonstrated below in Table 1 and Table 2. The following databases were used for the search; JIBC Library, Criminal Justice Abstracts with Full Text (CJA), OpenDissertations, and Google Scholar. In the JIBC Library search, ten sources were identified for abstract review and three articles and journals were selected for full review and final analysis. In the OpenDissertations, four sources were identified for abstract review and one article was selected for full review and final analysis. In the CJA database, two sources were identified for abstract review and one article was selected for full review and final analysis. In VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE 13 the Google Scholar search engine, ten sources were identified for abstract review and three journals and articles were selected for full review and final analysis. Data Collection The search methodology initially started by using the JIBC library search, shown below in Table 1. From there, articles were selected which provide additional databases to search for data. Other databases used include OpenDissertations, Criminal Justice Abstracts with Full Text (CJA) Secondarily, Google Scholar was used, employing key search terms shown below in Table 2. Table 1 Initial and Revised Searches Database JIBC Library Search Term (s) Community Policing Centres AND Volunteers Search Results 30 JIBC Library Community Policing Centres AND Volunteers 23 OpenDissertations Volunteer 4 Criminal Justice Abstracts with Full Text Revised Searches Community Policing Centres AND Volunteers 2 Reasons for Revision Added keyword “feelings or emotions or experiences or attitudes” Added keyword “feelings or emotions or experiences or attitudes” Added keyword “Community Policing” Reason for Revision Selected an article called “Perceptions of service provided by south African police service community service centres” Note. This table demonstrates the search database used, search keywords, and search results including revised search. Keywords include “Community Policing Centres AND Volunteers,” “feelings or emotions or experiences or attitudes, and “perceptions.” Table 2: Google Scholar Database Initial and Revised Searches Database Initials Searches VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE Google Scholar Community Policing Centres 14 271 Filtered year from 2000-2025, AND Volunteers selected “sort by relevance” and “review articles” Revised Searches Community Policing Centres Reason for Revision 415 Removed keywords “Community AND Volunteers Policing Centers AND Volunteers” and added “volunteering at community policing centres” Community Policing Centres 10 Added quotation for, “community AND Volunteers policing centres” and “volunteering” Note. This table demonstrates the search database used, search keywords, and search results including revised search. Keywords include “Community Policing Centres AND Volunteers,” “feelings or emotions or experiences or attitudes, and “perceptions.” Data Analysis The searches relied on the combination of search terms and search engine to have results ranging from hundreds to thousands. The focus from JIBC Library includes all years. The focus from Google Scholar web-based search is on articles from 2000-2025 and keywords include “community policing centres and volunteers”. Table 3 Sources for Secondary Data Analysis Author (s) (year) Ren et al. (2006) Title Participation community crime prevention: who volunteers for police work? Type of Media Journal Source Data Collection Surveys – 574 city residents and 264 volunteers Source Data Analysis Primary Research: Demographic background, neighbourhood contextual factors, and political views Notes The findings based in surveys of citizen perception VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE 15 Liederbach et al. (2007) Exploring the limits of collaboration in community policing – A direction comparison of police and citizen views Journal Officer and Citizen Surveys Primary Research: Comparison between police and citizen views Lee and Zhao (2015) Disentangling the myth about citizen participation in collaborative work with police Journal Two data sets: survey of 324 citizens and a random telephone survey of 1,197 general citizens Primary Research: Two structural equation modeling models for citizen volunteer sample and for general sample were assessed Westall (2021) Exploring the Contribution and Relationship to Policing and Community Safety of Volunteer Street Patrols The motivation of Senior Volunteers in Law Enforcement Article Literature Review Content Analysis/Secondary Research: Various data for literature review Journal 169 adults over the age of 50 who volunteers with a large metropolitan law enforcement agency Mason et al. (2021) Perceptions of service provided by South African police service community service centres Article A survey of 400 respondents at three CSCs Primary Research: Participates completed two instruments that measure volunteer motivation, Functions Inventory and Volunteer Motivation Measure Primary Research: Measured how and why the CSC was visited, overall satisfaction and respondents’ perceptions of the visit experience Strudwick et al. (2017) Developing Volunteers in Policing: Assessing the Potential Volunteer Police Community Police Officer Article Exploratory Study Nyaura and Ngugi (2014) The Benefits and Challenges Emanating from Community Policing in Kenya: A Criminological Perspective Journal Critical Review Blumberg and Nardone (2020) Primary Research: Evaluating the effectiveness of the Volunteer Police Community Support Officers – community connectivity and meeting public demands for visibility policing Content Analysis/Secondary Research: The purpose is to understand the concept of community policing and the benefits and challenges of Kenyan community policing system Officers and citizens assessment are significantly different in specific crime problems in the district, the value of community policing programs, satisfaction of department performance and improvement strategies The findings showed that satisfaction with the police services was the only factor having a direct impact on attitudes toward the police in volunteer group The relationship allows validity, accountability, and opportunity for the volunteers Volunteers’ primary motivation is the passion to help others in their community and to support the agency Overall satisfaction does not differ according to demographics. There are differences in the lead-up factors and the experience according to education and income VPCSOs was seen as successful by the Force, but challenges such as uncertainty to success were found Government and all sections commitment to work toward community policing efforts, addressing community policies to the public through public participation forums Note. This table was created to organize secondary data analysis. Furthermore, the organization of this table was drawn from Grace Timney’s Capstone paper. Grace Timney’s table was VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE 16 influenced by Secondary Analysis of Qualitative Data: A Valuable Method for Exploring Sensitive Issues with an Elusive Population? By Long-Sutehall, Sque, & Addington-Hall, 2010. Findings As displays in Table 1: Sources for Secondary Data Analysis, the findings from the existing studies supports the principal determinants associated with volunteering with a CPC. Furthermore, studies explain who volunteers, the benefits and challenges associated with volunteering with a CPC or within a police service. Researchers who study motivations have found several reasons why people volunteer. Research proves that one’s quality of life is made better by volunteering (Blumberg et al., 2020). People volunteer due to intrinsic motivation, finding their volunteer work fulfilling and enjoyable and/or due to extrinsic motivation, finding volunteer work for a reward or an external benefit. According to Blumberg et al. (2020), younger volunteers tend to be motivated by learning new skills, career opportunities, adding volunteer work to their resume, and exposure to new experiences. Older volunteers are motivated by a desire to stay active, to cultivate friendships, and to avoid feeling isolated. In addition, they conduct their study based on six factors: values, understanding, social, protective, enhancement, and career. Thematic Analysis A thematic analysis of the data generates three themes on volunteering with a CPC or a police service: (1) trust; (2) change; and (3) relationship. This study demonstrates that volunteering is significant and meaningful to individuals involved. Trust VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE 17 Volunteering at a community police center requires trust in the programs believing that the programs are effective and proper, and trust from the public that the programs are useful. Len et al. (2015) finds that confidence in local institutions and officials were both vital as it shows that respondents volunteer because they held positive attitudes toward the police. Len cites that, “citizens with more positive attitudes toward police were more than five times as likely as those with less positive attitudes toward police to become a volunteer in a community policing center.” Volunteers spend their time giving back their time to the community in hopes that it impacts the community positively, and to enhance the public trust in the programs and the police. According to Britton and Knight (2022), there is a growing interest in police volunteerism to enhance trust. Volunteering at a community policing center requires trust in the programs, believing that the programs are effective, appropriate, and reliable. It enhances the public’s trust in the programs and the police. By collaborating with the police by volunteering at a CPC, it allows trust to be built and to grow. Both, the police, and the community can increase trust through collaboration and cooperation. Change Change by creating a positive impact, promoting a safe environment, and strengthening the quality of life for everyone. Volunteering opens opportunities to be more involved in the community, creating change and encouraging others to volunteer as well, making a positive impact in the community. The articles verify that it yielded both expected and unexpected results. For example, Gaffney and Randol (2014) find that volunteers in community policing center programs tend to have higher income, favorable attitudes toward the police, and be more involved in the community. Additionally, disorder, fear of crime and social cohesion does not associate with citizen volunteerism in community policing center programs. Gaffney and Randol VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE 18 find that citizens that volunteered in community policing center programs were mostly likely to be victims of crime and victimization correlated with citizens’ belief that police should spend more time interacting with citizens. The articles provide evidence that actions are needed for change to encourage citizens to give back to their community by volunteering. By recognizing and addressing the underlying cause, community members can offer the police insightful information about the issues affecting their local communities, hence promoting change. Relationship Sir Robert Peel shared nine principles in 1829, introducing Community Policing for policing. One of the principles is the concept of the police are the public and the public are the police. The relationship between the police and the public is important and the ability to maintain a strong relationship is crucial. The police work everyday to protect the people and deliver safety and quality of life for everyone, on duty and off duty, and the public are the eyes and ears. Westall (2021) shared a quote in his article from the Representative for the Police and Crime Prevention that says, “the volunteers act as a bridge almost between the people who are using the city and the police.” Volunteering enhances the relationship between the volunteers and the police and strengthens the relationship between the community and the police department. It enhances the relationship between volunteers and the police and enhances the relationship between the police and the community members. Overall, citizen participation in volunteering strengthens the relationship between them and the police. The Benefits of Volunteering at a CPC or Within a Police Service Data derived from the literature review proved that there are benefits to volunteering at police service. Volunteers have the advantage of bringing more of the community into contact VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE 19 with the police and freeing the police officers for deployment in community policing. The following are the benefits: • The ability to stay active • Building connections with other volunteers • Cultivating friendships with other volunteers • Building trust with the police • Strengthen relationship with the police • The positive feeling of being able to impact change in the communities The Challenges of Volunteering at a CPC or within a Police Service and Challenges for CPCs The involvement of volunteering with a CPC or police service will have its problems. Volunteering at a police service can be challenging, especially to individuals who have a negative perspective towards the police. Lack of resources such as funding, volunteers and core programs are the factors of challenges faced by CPCs. Furthermore, the contributing factors such as negative interaction with the police in the past, negative news from the media, and negative storytelling from others can influence individuals’ perspective towards the police. Individuals may find it challenging to volunteer because of negative perception toward the police. The following are some challenges analyzed from literature review: • Lack of dedication and commitment from the police and the community • Lack of knowledge and collaboration between the police and the community • Lack of funding for training and establishment of core programs VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE • 20 Lack of variety of tasks and unclear structure in their volunteer duties For community partnership between the police and the community to be successful, both the police and the community must be dedicated to commitment. Without commitment, challenges can occur for both the police and the community. In addition to this, a diverse society can create challenges due to diverse cultures, ideals, or values. The final observation from data analysis reveals the challenges with training and power for Volunteer Police Community Support Officers. Regular police officers find that volunteers are there, getting taken out even though Volunteer Police Community Support Officers are shadowing what the officers are doing which leads to feeling of not being able to give volunteers anything to do. Additionally, the issue of powers. Volunteer Police Community Support Officers were established to provide reassurance and prevent crime. Yet, there is a desire to engage in crime control activities because of the ability to contribute to crime control and enforcement. Why Do People Volunteer at a CPC or Within a Police Service People volunteer at a CPC or within a police service for several reasons. The following reasons provided below are some of the reasons why people volunteer: • The desire to help others • To improve communication between the police and the community • To promote a safer community • To provide better quality of life to all persons in the community • To strengthen the relationship between the police and the community • To improve trust between the police and the community VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE • 21 The passion to create change in the community and in policing Discussion Volunteering is vital for CPCs and for law enforcement agencies. Despite the noteworthy contributions from volunteers assisting in creating crime prevention programs and initiatives to address local crime and safety concerns, a review of the literature on citizen volunteers and research on this topic is limited. Frequent questions such as who are the citizens who become police department volunteers or CPC volunteers? And, what contributes to citizen decisions to get involved in crime prevention programs partnered with their local police department? These basic questions still remain widely unknown. This study supports the benefits of volunteering at a CPC or within a police department and the challenges that volunteers will potentially encounter before or while volunteering with a CPC. There is a general knowledge of what CPCs are and how volunteering with them can further enhance the collaboration between the communities and the police. This study extended the general knowledge and highlights the principal determinants of why people volunteer at a CPC. Furthermore, it provides recommendations for people to volunteer with a CPC or within a police service and recommendations to future studies and projects. Lack of Research There is a lack of study on the volunteers’ perspectives from Community Policing Centres. This study aims to begin reviewing the literature and transfer the data into practice. This study aims to begin reviewing the literature and transfer the data into practice as there is a lack of study on the volunteer perceptions within Community Policing Centres. Through a thorough literature VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE 22 review, the results can aid in encouraging future researchers to conduct more research studies in volunteer perceptions towards volunteering with a Community Policing Centre. Volunteers are essential in supporting individuals who seek assistance, guidance, and resources at Community Policing Centres. Every volunteer upholds their principal determinants and perception towards volunteering with a Community Policing Centre or within a police service. Furthermore, every community is unique, requiring the police and the community members to collaborate to strengthen trust, enhance their relationship, and promote safety and quality of life for all persons. Future studies or projects can utilize this study to find answers or to achieve their study’s objectives. Despite the lack of research, the existing studies demonstrate that the primary motivation to volunteer is the desire to help others in their community and the passion to achieve the mission of the agency. Age, gender, and ethnicity may contribute to the motivation of volunteers. Limitations The main limitations of this study are time and data. There is a lack of study on volunteer perceptions towards their respective CPC, particularly in Canada. CPCs in Canada, specifically in Vancouver, are unique and important because the CPCs collaborate with the police and the community in response to communities’ safety and concerns. The lack of study in this area limits research on the topic and databases availability for secondary data collection. Sources of this study are not limited to peer-reviewed data due to the lack of data and constraint of time. Although secondary sources and constraint of time contribute to the limitations of this study, self-selection influenced the data collection process. Recommendations VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE 23 Community Members Research demonstrates that one’s quality of life is enhanced by volunteering. Volunteering brings fun and fulfilment to one’s life, protects one’s mental and physical health, and can reduce stress and depression. Furthermore, being a part of something larger that offers critical help to people in need, worthwhile causes and the community enhances one’s quality of life. Community members play an enormous role when it comes to community safety and quality of life for all people in the community. Community members are encouraged to get involved within a police service or volunteer with their respective CPC to enhance trust between them and the police, strengthen connections with the police, and maintain quality police legitimacy. By allowing oneself to participate in volunteering with a CPC, it creates change and increases trust and collaboration between the police and the public. Studies reveal that volunteering enables engagement, provides a variety of benefits and services to the community, and it makes a difference in the community. Future Research This study can aid future researchers to further explore volunteers’ perceptions toward volunteering in CPCs. Future researchers can explore specifically into CPCs’ core programs as this will further expand knowledge and understanding. By understanding volunteer perceptions towards police service, it provides collaboration between the police and the community and as a result, it can aid in boosting citizen involvement in volunteering with a CPC. Findings drawn from this study will hopefully provide future research with the question of what are the volunteers’ principal motivations for their involvement – to be safe, to have a sense of belonging, VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE 24 to learn, to grow personally or professionally, to be useful, or to make a positive impact in the community? More specifically, future research can conduct studies in one of the CPCs located in Vancouver, British Columbia. Vancouver currently has 12 CPCs. Each CPCs are operated, staffed, and governed by members of community members within the neighbourhood or outside of the neighbourhood, working in partnership with the Vancouver Police (Vancouver Police Department, n.d.). Each CPCs create crime prevention programs and address local crime and safety concerns in their respective neighbourhoods. To better understand volunteers from the CPCs, future researchers can conduct a random sample and have respondents complete Volunteer Motivation Measure (VMM) and Volunteer Function Inventory (VFI). VFI consists of a 30-item instrument that measures six motivation functions: Protective Factors, Values, Social, Understanding, Enhancement, and Career (Blumberg et al., 2020). VMM consists of 16-item instruments: Altruism, Patriotism, Extrinsic motivation, and Intrinsic motivation (Blumberg et al., 2020). Conclusion Each community is special. To strengthen quality of life for all people in the community and strengthen the relationship and trust between the police and the communities, the communities need community policing centres where volunteers can contribute their time to make a positive impact to the communities. Community policing centers programs prove it is effectiveness by providing guidance and assistance to people appropriately and in a timely manner. It enhances trust between the volunteer and the police. It creates change by strengthening the quality of life and promoting safer communities. Lastly, volunteering enhances VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE 25 the police and the community's connectivity and relationship. Furthermore, volunteers are the backbone of a successful and reputable Community Policing Centre because they create a positive impact and are determined to make a difference in the respective community. The role of volunteers has noteworthy influence in building safer and stronger communities. This study is guided by Sir Robert Peel’s nine principles, particularly the principle that the police are the public and the public are the police. This study uses secondary data analysis from a variety of previous research to find answers to the main question: what are the principal determinants associated with volunteering with a Community Policing Centre? Three subquestions will be considered and/or addressed: Who volunteers? How beneficial is it to volunteer at Community Policing Centres? What are the volunteer perceptions of volunteering within a police service? This study was able to find the principal determinants associated with volunteering with a Community Policing Centre or within a police service. Furthermore, it provides invaluable recommendations for people to volunteer with a CPC or within a police service. VOLUNTEERING AT A COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE 26 References Ayling, J. (2007). Force Multiplier: People as a Policing Resource. International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal, 31(1), pp. 73-100. https://doi.org/10/1080/01924036.2007.9678761 Blauer, R., Mehmi, S. & Gannes, K.D. (2021). Building trust in modern day policing: A neighbourhood community officer evaluation. 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