Assessing the quality of police services using SERVQUAL

Emerald - Tập 29 Số 1 - Trang 92-105 - 2006
Mike Donnelly1, Neil J. Kerr2, Russell Rimmer2, Edward M. Shiu3
1Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh, UK
2University of Paisley, Paisley, UK
3Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK

Tóm tắt

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the application of the SERVQUAL approach to assess the quality of service of Strathclyde Police in Scotland. Measuring service quality in public services is fraught with difficulty – especially in public services where customers are vulnerable citizens whose contact with the service may be limited.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reports on a SERVQUAL survey of elected representatives serving the area covered by Strathclyde Police Force. The survey captures respondents' expectations of an excellent police service and compares these with their perceptions of the service delivered by Strathclyde Police. The paper also reports on a parallel SERVQUAL survey of police officers in Strathclyde to examine how well the force understands its customers' expectations and how well its internal processes support the delivery of top quality policing services.FindingsWhile there is a significant shortfall in meeting customer expectations, the police force appears to have a good understanding of what these expectations actually are. There also appear to be gaps in the formalisation of service quality standards, in the force's ability to meet established standards, and in its ability to deliver the level of service it promises to customers.Research limitations/implicationsA key technical result is that the primary SERVQUAL instrument appears to be internally consistent but lacks discriminatory validity between the five SERVQUAL dimensions in this service arena.Practical implicationsThe paper will be of interest to strategic and operational police service managers and to academics investigating the reliability and value of service quality assessment tools.Originality/valueThe paper reports an original application of the SERVQUAL approach to police services.

Tài liệu tham khảo

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Emerald

Tập 29 Số 1

92-105

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