Distinguishing between normative and non-normative motivations to obey the police: furthering the development of a police legitimacy scale
Policing: An International Journal
ISSN: 1363-951X
Article publication date: 20 November 2023
Issue publication date: 31 January 2024
Abstract
Purpose
Measuring the normative obligation to obey the police, a key component of police legitimacy, has proven difficult. Pósch et al.’s (2021) proposed scales appear to overcome the problems associated with traditional measures. This study introduces new items for these scales and empirically assesses whether such additions have the desired effects on scale performance.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses data from a national online survey administered in July 2022 (N = 1,494). Measures of internal consistency and factor analysis were used to evaluate the properties of the obligation to obey scales. Linear regression was used to test the hypothesized effects.
Findings
The results show that adding the new items to the existing scales increased the level of internal consistency and improved how well the factor model fit the data. In terms of antecedents, procedural justice and bounded authority concerns were correlated with normative and non-normative obligations to obey the police in the expected direction and relative magnitude, findings that held for both the original and expanded scales. Although both normative obligation scales were significantly associated with willingness to cooperate with the police and significantly mediated the effect of procedural justice on cooperation, the relationship for the expanded scale was stronger and the mediation more pronounced.
Originality/value
This study extends previous research working to overcome some of the setbacks associated with measuring a crucial feature of police legitimacy. Effectively navigating this challenge will help advance legitimacy studies in criminal justice settings.
Keywords
Citation
Reisig, M.D. and Trinkner, R. (2024), "Distinguishing between normative and non-normative motivations to obey the police: furthering the development of a police legitimacy scale", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 47 No. 1, pp. 50-65. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-05-2023-0069
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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