Crime victims’ perceptions of the police, legitimacy, and cooperation: A multi-method approach

Crime victims are less willing to report their victimization to the police in case of repeat victimization. The current study examines whether this is due to the way victims’ feel treated by police officers and police officers’ investigative actions during a previous incident. Furthermore, it examines how and why victims’ perceptions of the police response may relate to their willingness to cooperate with the police by conducting several research methods:a quantitative survey among victims (T1: N = 417; T2: N = 201), qualitative in-depth interviews with victims (N = 28), and an experimental vignette study among university students (study 1: N = 171 , study 2: N = 690) . Results indicate that victims’ perceptions of procedural justice and police performance are directly and indirectly (particularly through perceived obligation to obey the law) related to victims’ willingness to cooperate with the police in case of future victimization. Implications for research and policy will be discussed during the presentation.