7 - Citizen Cooperation and Crime

Summary

In Israel, the relationship between Arab citizens and the police centers on a desire for better service provision. This chapter asks how police integration affects the quality and distribution of crime prevention. First, I use original survey data to show that Arab citizens who perceive the police as more integrated are more willing to report crimes to the police. Next, I argue that the police use this information to allocate crime-fighting resources more efficiently. Using panel data on officer demographics and a nationwide crime victimization survey, I show that within a given location, increases in the religious diversity of officers are associated with decreases in crime. This effect occurs only in localities with majority non-Jewish populations. However, within those localities, the decrease in crime holds for both Jewish and non-Jewish citizens. These results point to the potential for police integration to benefit all members of society, making it a powerful first-step toward reconciliation in communities with deep-seated identity divisions.