Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Path from Procedural Justice and Police Legitimacy to Compliance and Cooperation in the Context of Terrorism in Multiculturally Diverse Student Population in the Netherlands

  • Published:
European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

An expanding body of research consistently reinforces Tyler’s two-stage-based self-regulatory theory of procedural justice. This study makes two significant contributions to the literature on Tyler’s model. First, it examines the relationship between procedural justice, legitimacy, and cooperation with police and explores whether perceptions of legitimacy have a mediation effect in this model. Second, it attempts to understand whether the model predicts the cooperation and reporting behavior of individuals in terrorism-related cases. Drawing on a comprehensive analysis of data linking procedural justice to public trust and cooperation, collected from (N = 267) university students in The Hague, results align with Tyler’s model, indicating a significant positive relationship between police legitimacy and willingness to cooperate with police and report terrorism-related incidents. Procedural justice indirectly affects both variables through legitimacy. Furthermore, age and prior contact with the police influence perceptions of legitimacy and cooperation. The findings underscore the importance of police legitimacy in fostering trust and cooperation with law enforcement, particularly in multicultural societies. This study advocates for targeted resource allocation within police departments. By prioritizing initiatives that enhance procedural justice, departments can cultivate stronger legitimacy and encourage cooperation and proactive reporting of terrorism-related cases.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Boateng, F. D., Pryce, D. K., & Abess, G. (2022). Legitimacy and cooperation with the police: Examining empirical relationship using data from Africa. Policing and Society, 32(3), 411–433. https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2022.2037554

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bolger, P. C., & Walters, G. D. (2019). The relationship between police procedural justice, police legitimacy, and people’s willingness to cooperate with law enforcement: A meta-analysis. Journal of Criminal Justice, 60, 93–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bottoms, A., & Tankebe, J. (2012). Beyond procedural justice: A dialogic approach to legitimacy in criminal justice. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 102, 119.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brouwer, J., Van Der Woude, M., & Van Der Leun, J. (2017). Border policing, procedural justice and belonging: The legitimacy of (cr)immigration controls in border areas. The British Journal of Criminology, 58(3), 624–643. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azx050

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Byrne, B. M. (2001). Structural equation modeling with AMOS: Basic concepts, applications, and programming. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cherney, A., & Murphy, K. (2013). Policing terrorism with procedural justice: The role of police legitimacy and law legitimacy. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 46(3), 403–421.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cherney, A., & Murphy, K. (2017). Police and community cooperation in counterterrorism: Evidence and insights from Australia. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 40(12), 1023–1037. https://doi.org/10.1080/1057610X.2016.1253987

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Demir, M., Apel, R., Braga, A. A., Brunson, R. K., & Ariel, B. (2020). Body worn cameras, procedural justice, and police legitimacy: A controlled experimental evaluation of traffic stops. Justice Quarterly, 37(1), 53–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ekici, N., & Akdogan, H. (2020). Structural equation modeling of terror perception: New correlates of perception formation. Perspectives on Terrorism., 14(5), 62–76.

    Google Scholar 

  • Europol (2023). European union terrorism situation and trend report, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. Accessed February 2023 at https://www.europol.europa.eu/publication-events/main-reports/european-union-terrorism-situation-and-trend-report-2023-te-sat

  • Gau, J. M. (2014). Procedural justice and police legitimacy: A test of measurement and structure. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 39(2), 187–205. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-013-9220-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gøtzsche-Astrup, O., Lindekilde, L., & Fjellman, A. (2023). Perceived legitimacy of CVE policies and the willingness to report concerns of radicalization to authorities in the Nordic Countries. Terrorism and Political Violence, 35(3), 712–728. https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2021.1972977

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haner, M., Sloan, M. M., Pickett, J. T., & Cullen, F. T. (2022). When do Americans “see something, say something”? Experimental evidence on the willingness to report terrorist activity. Justice Quarterly, 39(5), 1079–1103. https://doi.org/10.1080/07418825.2021.1942162

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoyle, R. H. (1995). Structural equation modeling: Concepts, issues, and applications. Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huq Aziz, Z. (2011). Mechanisms for eliciting cooperation in counterterrorism policing: Evidence from the United Kingdom. Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, 8(4), 728–761.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jonathan-Zamir, T., & Weisburd, D. (2013). The effects of security threats on antecedents of police legitimacy: Findings from a quasi-experiment in Israel. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 50(1), 3–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karakus, O. (2017). Instrumental and normative pathways to legitimacy and public cooperation with the police in Turkey: Considering perceived neighborhood characteristics and local government performance. Justice Quarterly, 34(1), 25–54.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, Y. S., Ra, K. H., & McLean, K. (2019). The generalizability of police legitimacy: Procedural justice, legitimacy, and speeding intention of South Korean drivers. Asian Journal of Criminology, 14, 41–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kline, T. J. B., & Klammer, J. D. (2001). Path model analyzed with ordinary least squares multiple regression versus LISREL. The Journal of Psychology, 135(2), 213–225.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kochel, T. R. (2018). Police legitimacy and resident cooperation in crime hotspots: Effects of victimisation risk and collective efficacy. Policing and Society, 28(3), 251–270. https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2016.1174235

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koster, N. N. (2017). Victims’ perceptions of the police response as a predictor of victim cooperation in the Netherlands: A prospective analysis. Psychology, Crime & Law, 23(3), 201–220. https://doi.org/10.1080/1068316X.2016.1239098

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koster, N. N., Van der Leun, J. P., & Kunst, M. J. J. (2020). Crime victims’ evaluations of procedural justice and police performance in relation to cooperation: A qualitative study in the Netherlands. Policing and Society, 30(3), 225–240. https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2018.1502290

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, Y. H., & Cho, S. (2020). The significance of instrumental pathways to legitimacy and public support for policing in South Korea: Is the role of procedural fairness too small? Crime, Law and Social Change, 73, 575–603.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levi, M., Sacks, A., & Tyler, T. (2009). Conceptualizing legitimacy, measuring legitimating beliefs. American Behavioral Scientist, 53(3), 354–375. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764209338797

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lockwood C. M., & Mackinnon D. P. (1998). Bootstrapping the standard error of the mediated effect. Proceedings of the 23rd Annual Meeting of SAS Users Group International (pp. 997–1002). Cary, NC: SAS Institute, Inc. Accessed February 2023 at https://www2.sas.com/proceedings/sugi23/Posters/p180.pdf

  • MacKinnon, D. P., Krull, J. L., & Lockwood, C. M. (2000). Equivalence of the mediation, confounding and suppression effect. Prevention Science, 1(4), 173–181.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • MacQueen, S., & Bradford, B. (2015). Enhancing public trust and police legitimacy during road traffic encounters: Results from a randomised controlled trial in Scotland. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 11(3), 419–443. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-015-9240-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Madon, N. S. (2017). Promoting community collaboration in counterterrorism: Do social identities and perceptions of legitimacy mediate reactions to procedural justice policing? British Journal of Criminology, 57(5), 1144–1164.

    Google Scholar 

  • Madon, N. S., Murphy, K., & Cherney, A. (2016). Promoting community collaboration in counterterrorism: Do social identities and perceptions of legitimacy mediate reactions to procedural justice policing? The British Journal of Criminology, 57(5), 1144–1164. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azw053

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malthouse, E. (2001). How high or low must loadings be to keep or delete a scale item? Journal of Consumer Psychology, 10(1/2), 81–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matczak A., Akdogan H., Ashmore D. (2022). The paradox of technology in online education during the COVID-19 pandemic: the experiences of safety and security students in a Dutch university. High Education (Dordr), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-022-00971-0

  • Mazerolle, L., Bennett, S., Davis, J., Sargeant, E., & Manning, M. (2013). Legitimacy in policing: A systematic review. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 9. https://doi.org/10.4073/csr.2013.1

  • McLean, K. (2020). Revisiting the role of distributive justice in Tyler’s legitimacy theory. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 16(2), 335–346. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-019-09370-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morrow, W. J., & Vickovic, S. G. (2023). Exploring perceptions of police legitimacy: The role of family, friends, and procedural justice. Criminal Justice Review, 345–371, 07340168231159368.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muratbegovic, E., Vujovic, S., & Fazlic, A. (2014). Procedural justice, police legitimacy and cooperation of Bosnian students with the police. Varstvoslovje, 16(4), 387–411.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, K., Cherney, A., & Teston, M. (2019). Promoting Muslims’ willingness to report terror threats to police: Testing competing theories of procedural justice. Justice Quarterly, 36(4), 594–619. https://doi.org/10.1080/07418825.2018.1437210

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, K., Madon, N. S., & Cherney, A. (2020). Reporting threats of terrorism: Stigmatisation, procedural justice and policing Muslims in Australia. Policing and Society, 30(4), 361–377. https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2018.1551393

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nagin, D. S., & Telep, C. W. (2017). Procedural justice and legal compliance. Annual Review of Law and Social Science, 13, 5–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nagin, D. S., & Telep, C. W. (2020). Procedural justice and legal compliance: A revisionist perspective. Criminology & Public Policy, 19(3), 761–786.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Academies of Sciences. (2018). Proactive policing: Effects on crime and communities. D. Weisburd and M. Majmundar, eds. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/24928

  • Pina-Sánchez, J., & Brunton-Smith, I. (2020). Reassessing the relationship between procedural justice and police legitimacy. Law and Human Behavior, 44(5), 377. https://doi.org/10.1037/lhb0000424

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pósch, K., Jackson, J., Bradford, B., & Macqueen, S. (2021). “Truly free consent”? Clarifying the nature of police legitimacy using causal mediation analysis. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 17(4), 563–595. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-020-09426-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raykov, T., Tomer, A., & Nesselroade, J. R. (1991). Reporting structural equation modeling results in psychology and aging: Some proposed guidelines. Psychology and Aging, 6(4), 499–503.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reisig, M. D., Bratton, J., & Gertz, M. G. (2007). The construct validity and refinement of process-based policing measures. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34(8), 1005–1028. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854807301275

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reisig, M. D., & Lloyd, C. (2009). Procedural justice, police legitimacy, and helping the police fight crime. Police Quarterly, 12(1), 42–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098611108327311

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reisig, M. D., Tankebe, J., & Meško, G. (2012). Procedural justice, police legitimacy, and public cooperation with the police among young Slovene adults. Varstvoslovje: Journal of Criminal Justice & Security, 14(2), 147–164.

  • Reisig, M. D., Trinkner, R., & Sarpong, D. (2023). Measuring normative obligation to obey the police: An empirical assessment of a new police legitimacy scale. Journal of Criminal Justice, 86, 102045.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sahin, N., Braga, A. A., Apel, R., & Brunson, R. K. (2017). The impact of procedurally-just policing on citizen perceptions of police during traffic stops: The Adana randomized controlled trial. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 33(4), 701–726. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10940-016-9308-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schaap, D., & Saarikkomäki, E. (2022). Rethinking police procedural justice. Theoretical Criminology, 26(3), 416–433. https://doi.org/10.1177/13624806211056680

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shook, C. L., Ketchen, D. J., Hult, T., & Kacmar, K. M. (2004). An assessment of the use of structural equation modeling in strategic management research. Strategic Management Journal, 25(4), 397–404.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun, I. Y., Wu, Y., Hu, R., & Farmer, A. K. (2017). Procedural justice, legitimacy, and public cooperation with police. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 54(4), 454–478. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022427816638705

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sunshine, J., & Tyler, T. R. (2003). The role of procedural justice and legitimacy in shaping public support for policing. Law & Society Review, 37(3), 513–548.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tankebe, J. (2009). Public cooperation with the police in Ghana: Does procedural fairness matter? Criminology, 47(4), 1265–1293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Terpstra, B. L., & van Wijck, P. W. (2023). The Influence of Police Treatment and Decision-making on Perceptions of Procedural Justice: A Field Study. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 60(3), 344–377. https://doi.org/10.1177/00224278211030968

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • THUAS. (2023). About THUAS. Accessed in February 2023 at https://www.thuas.com/about-thuas

  • Tyler, T. R. (1990). Why people obey the law. Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tyler, T. R., & Huo, Y. J. (2002). Trust in the law: Encouraging public cooperation with the police and courts. Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tyler, T. R. (2013). Future challenges in the study of legitimacy and criminal justice. Yale Law School, Public Law Working Paper 264, 1–27.

  • Tyler, T. R., Schulhofer, S., & Huq, A. Z. (2010). Legitimacy and deterrence effects in counterterrorism policing: A study of Muslim Americans. Law & Society Review, 44(2), 365–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tyler, T. R., & Fagan, J. (2008). Legitimacy and cooperation: Why do people help the police fight crime in their communities. Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law, 6, 231.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ullman, J. B. (2001). Structural equation modeling. In B.G. Tabachnick & L.S. Fidel (Eds.). Using multivariate statistics (4th ed., pp. 528–612). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

  • Van Damme, A., & Pauwels, L. (2016). Why are young adults willing to cooperate with the police and comply with traffic laws? Examining the role of attitudes toward the police and law, perceived deterrence and personal morality. International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 46, 103–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlcj.2016.04.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Hall, M., Dirkzwager, A. J. E., van der Laan, P. H., & Nieuwbeerta, P. (2022). Procedural justice and legitimacy of the law in the criminal justice system: a longitudinal study among Dutch detainees. Psychology, Crime & Law, 1-24.https://doi.org/10.1080/1068316X.2022.2065274

  • Walters, G. D., & Bolger, P. C. (2019). Procedural justice perceptions, legitimacy beliefs, and compliance with the law: A meta-analysis. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 15(3), 341–372. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-018-9338-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Worden, R. E., & McLean, S. J. (2017). Mirage of police reform: Procedural justice and police legitimacy. University of California Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Hague, The Netherlands

    Huseyin Akdogan

  2. Roger Williams University, Bristol, RI, USA

    Mehmet Alper Sozer

  3. Department of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration, Western Illinois University, 1 University Cir., Macomb, IL, 61455, USA

    Niyazi Ekici

  4. Odessa College, Odessa, TX, USA

    Sebahattin Gultekin

  5. Ankara, Turkey

    Bekir Cakar

Authors
  1. Huseyin Akdogan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mehmet Alper Sozer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Niyazi Ekici
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sebahattin Gultekin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Bekir Cakar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Dr. Akdogan and Dr. Ekici worked on data/methods and results.

Dr. Sozer and Dr. Gultken worked on literature review and discussions.

Dr. Cakar worked on editing and polishing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Niyazi Ekici.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

There are no funding and/or conflicts of interests/competing interests with regard to this article.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Appendix

Appendix

Survey questions/scales/Cronbach’s alpha values

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Akdogan, H., Sozer, M.A., Ekici, N. et al. The Path from Procedural Justice and Police Legitimacy to Compliance and Cooperation in the Context of Terrorism in Multiculturally Diverse Student Population in the Netherlands. Eur J Crim Policy Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10610-024-09574-0

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10610-024-09574-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation