Perception of police misconduct and satisfaction with police: The role of confidence in police and legitimisation

ABSTRACTAnchored on the social exchange theory, this study investigated citizens’ perception of police misconduct on satisfaction with police through the mediating influence of confidence in the police and the moderating influence of legitimisation. The study is cross-sectional, and a sample size of three hundred and thirty-three citizens of Nigeria was recruited through an online survey. The data were analysed using Hayes's PROCESS macro, model 8. We found that the perception of police misconduct did not directly influence confidence and satisfaction in the police. However, the perception of police misconduct led to less satisfaction with police through low confidence in the police. Furthermore, we found that citizens high in police misconduct perception and high in police legitimacy were low in confidence in the police. Additionally, citizens high in police misconduct perception and high in police legitimacy were low in satisfaction with police through less confidence in the police. Finally, we discussed the theoretical and practical implications of this study.KEYWORDS: Police misconductpolice legitimisationconfidence in policesatisfaction with police Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 Dia and Jiang, ‘Comparative Study of Satisfaction with Police’, 30–52; Dia and Johnson, ‘Is Neighbourhood Context a Confounder?’, 595–612; Gracia and Cao, ‘Race and Satisfaction with Police’, 191–99; Haberman et al., ‘Satisfaction with Police’, 525–57; Jiang, Sun and Wang, ‘Citizens’ Satisfaction with Police’, 801–21; Karakus, McGarrell, and Basibuyuk, ‘Public Satisfaction with Law Enforcement’, 304–25; Nivette and Akoensi, ‘Determinants of Satisfaction with Police’, 471–87; Reisig and Parks, ‘Experience, Quality of Life, and Neighbourhood Context’, 607–30; Sims, Hooper, and Peterson, ‘Determinant of Citizens’ Attitudes towards Police’, 457–71; Wu, Sun, and Smith, ‘Race, Immigration, and Policing’, 745–74; Wu, Sun, and Triplett, ‘Race, Class or Neighbourhood Context’, 125–56; Zhao et al., ‘Public Satisfaction with Police’, 394–420.2 Boateng, ‘Crime Reporting Behaviour’, 1; Bolger and Walters, ‘Relationship between Police Procedural Justice, Police Legitimacy’, 95; Kochel, Parks and Mastrofski, ‘Legitimacy and Cooperation with Police’, 918.3 Cao, ‘Confidence in the Police’, 243.4 Weitzer, ‘Citizens’ Perceptions of Police Misconduct’, 822–24.5 De Angelis and Wolf, ‘Accountability and Public Attitudes towards Local Police’, 232; McNeeley and Grothoff, ‘Racial Tension and Attitudes towards the Police’, 383.6 Lai and Zhao, ‘Impact of Race/Ethnicity, Neighbourhood Context, and Police/Citizen Interaction on Attitudes toward the Police’, 685; Ratcliffe et al., ‘Citizens’ Reactions to Hot Spots Policing’, 393.7 Wu, Sun, and Triplett, ‘Race, Class or Neighbourhood Context’, 125; Gabbidon and Higgins, ‘Role of Race/Ethnicity and Race Relations on Public Opinion’, 102.8 Dai and Jiang, ‘Comparative Study of Satisfaction with Police’, 40.9 Ibid., 41; McNeeley and Grothoff, ‘Racial Tension and Attitudes towards the Police’, 391.10 Bolger, Lytle, and Bolger, ‘What Matters in Citizen Satisfaction with Police’, 1.11 Akinlabi, ‘Citizens’ Accounts of Police Use of Force’.12 Cao, ‘Confidence in the Police’, 242–43.13 Ibid., 241.14 Bolger, Lytle, and Bolger, ‘What Matters in Citizen Satisfaction with Police’, 4.15 Jang, Lee, and Gibb, ‘Influence of National Government on Confidence in the Police’, 12; Zahnow et al., ‘Living Near Violence’, 4.16 Tyler, ‘Legitimacy and Legitimation’, 375.17 Meares, Tyler, and Gardener, ‘Lawful or Fair’, 101; Papachristos, Meares, and Fagan, ‘Why do Criminals Obey the Law?’, 435–36.18 Cao, ‘Confidence in the Police’, 241, 243.19 Boateng, ‘Crime Reporting Behaviour’, 16.20 Bolger and Walters, ‘Relationship between Police Procedural Justice, Police Legitimacy’, 94; Murphy and Cherney, ‘Understanding Cooperation with Police’, 181.21 Kochel, Parks, and Mastrofski, ‘Legitimacy and Cooperation with Police’, 918.22 Bolger, Lytle, and Bolger, ‘What Matters in Citizen Satisfaction with Police’, 8.23 Agbiboa, ‘Policing is not Work’, 4; Akinlabi, ‘Do the Police Really Protect’, 158.24 Homan, Social Behaviour.25 Emerson, ‘Social Exchange Theory,’ 1.26 Homan, Social Behaviour.27 Ibid.28 Tyler and Huo, Trust in the Law.29 Homan, Social Behaviour.30 Davies, Meliala, and Buttle, ‘Gangnam Style versus Eye of the Tiger’, 468.31 Jonck and Swanepoel, ‘Influence of Corruption’, 159; Morris, ‘International Study on Public Confidence in Police’, 416.32 Homan, Social Behaviour.33 Dia and Jiang, ‘Comparative Study of Satisfaction with Police’; Schafer, Huebner, and Bynum, ‘Citizen Perceptions of Police Services’, 440; Weitzer, ‘Incidents of Police Misconduct’, 397; Weitzer and Tuch, ‘Perceptions of Police Misconduct’, 305; Weitzer and Tuch, ‘Public Satisfaction with the Police’, 279.34 Tyler, ‘Procedural Justice, Legitimacy and Effective Rule of Law’, 284.35 Cao, Stack, and Sun, ‘Public Attitudes toward the Police’, 279; Jackson and Sunshine, ‘Public Confidence in Policing’, 214; Jang, Joo, and Zhao, ‘Determinants of Public Confidence in Police’, 57.36 Bolger and Walters, ‘Relationship between Police Procedural Justice, Police Legitimacy’, 93; Kochel, Parks and Mastrofski, ‘Legitimacy and Cooperation with Police’, 900.37 Kochel, Parks, and Mastrofski, ‘Legitimacy and Cooperation with Police’, 912.38 Weitzer, ‘Citizens’ Perceptions of Police Misconduct’, 819, 822–24.39 Kochel, Parks, and Mastrofski, ‘Legitimacy and Cooperation with Police’, 914.40 Murphy, Hinds, and Fleming, ‘Cooperation and Support for Police’, 143.41 Jackson et al., ‘Police Violence and Public Perceptions’, 308.42 Murphy, Hinds, and Fleming, ‘Cooperation and Support for Police’, 143.43 Jackson et al., ‘Police Violence and Public Perceptions’, 308.44 Kochel, Parks, and Mastrofski, ‘Legitimacy and Cooperation with Police’, 912–913.45 Tyler, ‘Trust and Legitimacy’, 254; Tyler, ‘Psychology and Institutional Design’, 50; Tyler, Psychology and Design of Legal Institutions.46 Kochel, Parks, and Mastrofski, ‘Legitimacy and Cooperation with Police’, 914.47 Jackson et al., ‘Police Violence and Public Perceptions’, 308.48 Ibid.49 Weston and Gore, ‘Guide to Structural Equation Modelling’, 735.50 Hayes, Introduction to Mediation, Moderation and Conditional Process Analysis, x, 23, 440–449, 625.51 Ibid.52 Ibid.53 Davies, Meliala, and Buttle, ‘Gangnam Style versus Eye of the Tiger’, 468; Jonck and Swanepoel, ‘Influence of Corruption’, 159; Morris, ‘International Study on Public Confidence in Police’, 416.54 Cao, ‘Confidence in the Police’, 244.55 Ibid.56 Jackson and Bradford, ‘Trust and Confidence’, 241.57 Bolger, Lytle, and Bolger, ‘What Matters in Citizen Satisfaction with Police’, 1.58 Tyler, ‘Legitimacy and Legitimation’, 375–400.59 Sunshine and Tyler, ‘Procedural Justice and Legitimacy’, 513.60 Tankebe, Reisig, and Wang, ‘Model of Police Legitimacy’, 11.61 Pickett, Nix, and Roche, ‘Model of Police Procedural Justice’, 97; Rosenbaum et al., ‘Attitudes toward the Police’, 343.62 Hough, Jackson, and Bradford, ‘Drivers of Police Legitimacy’, 144.63 Homan, Social Behaviour.64 Akinlabi, ‘Police Use of Force’, 1.65 Akinlabi and Murphy, ‘Compulsion or Perceived Legitimacy?’, 193.66 Tyler, Why People Obey the Law.Additional informationNotes on contributorsAdeola Samuel AdebusuyiAdeola Samuel Adebusuyi is an industrial/organisational psychologist. He is currently a senior lecturer in the Department of Psychology of the Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil Kano. His research interest includes career self-management, especially among youths and young adults, psychology of entrepreneurship, police psychology, and all organisational behaviour-related research. He has published several papers in scholarly journals.Odunayo Oluwasanmi OluwafemiOdunayo Oluwasanmi Oluwafemi is a doctoral candidate at the University of Jos, Nigeria. He has taught Police Psychology, among other courses, at the Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil, Kano, for over nine years. He is currently researching factors influencing relocation stress and adopted coping strategies among transferred police officers in Nigeria. He has published on several topics in academic journals using police and police cadet populations.Hauwa Mary AigbojeHauwa Mary Aigboje is a Nigerian Clinical Psychologist who holds the position of Senior Lecturer and is the current Head of the Department of Psychology at the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna. She earned a Clinical Psychology doctorate from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Her research interests include trauma, stress-related reactions, developing resilience, psychological assessment, and the efficacy of psychotherapeutic interventions focusing on military families, children, and other vulnerable populations. She authors many scholarly articles in her areas of interest and has several years of teaching/research experience.