This study sought to examine the existing erosion of public trust and confidence in the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, which is linked to police legitimacy. Police legitimacy is the perception that the police have the authority to be obeyed and that individuals should defer to their judgements. The study utilized Tom Tyler’s procedural justice model as the theoretical framework, which previous empirical research has identified as the most effective approach for addressing legitimacy concerns. The study was guided by five research questions and tested eleven hypotheses on a conceptual framework. The purpose was to investigate the influence of four variables, alongside procedural justice on perceptions of police legitimacy. The goal was to determine whether they were more influential predictors of police legitimacy than procedural Justice.
The study used a convergent parallel mixed-methods research design to collect data via online questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups. Police effectiveness was the second most important predictor of legitimacy perceptions after procedural justice.
This study confirmed that procedural justice was also applicable in developing nations which addressed an existing gap in the literature regarding the theory’s weak external validity outside of developed countries. It added empirical aspects to procedural justice theory and established a new paradigm for image restoration and police department trust. This research expanded the procedural justice theoretical model beyond its established parameters as one of its contributions which was achieved using a research-specific conceptual framework. The study highlighted theoretical and practical implications and suggested future research directions.