Private security officers' willingness to cooperate with police: the role of procedural justice

Abstract

Private security officers perform a variety of services that ensure citizens' safety and security. While some of their functions mirror those of public police officers' responsibilities, security officers often work with limited power and authority comparable to those of ordinary citizens. Consequently, security officers primarily engage in loss prevention and order maintenance and play a secondary role in crime prevention, which requires contacting the police for further assistance and completion of their duties. Thus, the factors that affect private security officers' willingness to work and cooperate with police warrants investigation, especially in an era of growing private security industry and increasing demand for safety and security. In this research, the authors examine a convenience sample of private security officers and the predictors of their willingness to cooperate with police officers. Particularly, the extent to which perceived police procedural justice impacts security officers' opinions of police legitimacy as well as willingness to cooperate with police is investigated. The results show that the perceptions of police procedural justice have both direct and indirect effects on private security officers' willingness to cooperate, and implications for research and practice are discussed based on the findings.