One of the most profound national debates in the United States recently is about policing, which is usually an issue at the local level. Police departments have been accused of employing officers who have track records of excessive violence and racism. There have been moves to put social workers on police forces to handle domestic issues that police officers are not handled to address. There also have even been efforts to “defund” police departments, an action many call unrealistic. Of course, incidents of police misconduct, although they have been prominent recently, go back for decades in the United States.
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Policing issues are not confined to America. Every country employs one or more police forces. And citizens in those countries definitely have views on their cops.

To determine the country with the most confidence in their police, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data from Gallup’s 2020 Global Law and Order report. The report is based on the survey results of nearly 175,000 adults in 144 countries and areas in 2019.

Survey respondents were asked the following four questions:

• In the city or area where you live, do you have confidence in the local police force?
• Do you feel safe walking alone at night in the city or area where you live?
• Within the past 12 months, have you had money or property stolen from you or another household member?
• Within the past 12 months, have you been assaulted or mugged?

Survey results were tallied and combined to create an index score between 1, the least confidence in law and order, and 100, the highest confidence in law and order.

According to the Gallup report, people rated their confidence in their country’s police at least 80 out of 100. Singapore received the top score of 97. The United States ranked number 36 on this list with a score of 85. This indicates that perhaps the police, despite recent controversies, are still held in high regard in America.

In determining the country with the most confidence in the police, the countries are ranked based on confidence in law and order among residents. In the case of a tie, the country with the lower homicide rate ranked higher.

We also considered data compiled by the World Bank on deliberate homicides per 100,000 people. Homicide data were for the most recent year available.

Click here to see all the countries where citizens have the most confidence in their police.

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