Procedural justice in contacts with the police: the perspective of victims of crime

This study examined perceptions of procedural justice (the fairness of methods used to achieve outcomes) in contacts with the police among victims of crime. In-depth interviews were conducted with 110 people who reported a crime (personal and property) to the police in the previous 12 months. The findings indicated that police willingness to do their best to solve the case and police relating to victims as persons independently of the case itself were at least as important to victims of crime as the police delivering a desired outcome. Implications for evaluation of police performance are discussed.