Procedural justice, obligation to obey and cooperation with police in a sample of Saudi Arabian citizens

Purpose This study contributes to the extant literature by being the first to examine the relative impacts of a normative factor (procedural justice) and instrumental factors (police effectiveness and risk of sanctions) of policing on the internalized sense of obligation to obey and willingness to cooperate with the police in Saudi Arabia. The study’s importance is enhanced because it was conducted in the Middle East, a region rarely studied by policing scholars. Design/methodology/approach Data were obtained from a sample of 235 Saudi residents using a convenience sampling approach. Findings Results from our multivariate analysis revealed that procedural justice and effectiveness predicted Saudi residents’ internalized sense of obligation to obey their country’s police. In addition, procedural justice, effectiveness, gender and homeownership predicted Saudi citizens’ willingness to cooperate with Saudi police. Surprisingly, obligation did not predict cooperation. Originality/value Our study, the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia, has theoretical, policy and research implications for the country and the larger Middle East. Also, the current study offers scholars and practitioners the opportunity to understand how normative and instrumental elements of policing matter to Saudi citizens.