Policing by Consent: Understanding the Dynamics of Police Power and Legitimacy

Jackson, Jonathan; Hough, Mike; Bradford, Ben; Hohl, Katrin; Kuha, Jouni

Policing by Consent: Understanding the Dynamics of Police Power and Legitimacy

European Social Survey (2012). ‘Policing by consent: Understanding the dynamics of police power and legitimacy’, ESS Country Specific Topline Results Series Issue 1 (UK). By Jackson, J., Hough, M., Bradford, B., Hohl, K. and Kuha, J.

16 Pages Posted: 1 Nov 2012 Last revised: 11 Mar 2013

See all articles by Jonathan Jackson

Jonathan Jackson

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Department of Methodology

Mike Hough

King’s College London - Institute for Criminal Policy Research

Ben Bradford

University College London - Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science

Katrin Hohl

City University London; London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE)

Jouni Kuha

London School of Economics and Political Science

Date Written: October 30, 2012

Abstract

This is the first of the country-specific European Social Survey topline results reports. Focusing on UK data from the Round 5 module entitled ‘trust in justice,' we link people’s perceptions of police legitimacy to their compliance with the law and their willingness to cooperate with the police and criminal courts. We also extend the existing literature by addressing wider forms of trust and people’s attachment to order and security. Framing the findings in the context of a long and rich history of policing by consent, we show the value of the European Social Survey in shaping public policy, practice and debate.

Keywords: compliance, cooperation, legitimacy, policing, procedural justice, trust

JEL Classification: K40

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Jackson, Jonathan and Hough, Mike and Bradford, Ben and Hohl, Katrin and Kuha, Jouni, Policing by Consent: Understanding the Dynamics of Police Power and Legitimacy (October 30, 2012). European Social Survey (2012). ‘Policing by consent: Understanding the dynamics of police power and legitimacy’, ESS Country Specific Topline Results Series Issue 1 (UK). By Jackson, J., Hough, M., Bradford, B., Hohl, K. and Kuha, J. , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2168702