Citizen Satisfaction With Private Police in Russia: Does Satisfaction With Public Police Matter?

• DOI: 10.1177/1043986219890210
• Published date: 01 February 2020
• Date: 01 February 2020
• Author: Anna Gurinskaya,Mahesh K. Nalla
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/1043986219890210

Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice

2020, Vol. 36(1) 4 –18

© The Author(s) 2019

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DOI: 10.1177/1043986219890210

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Article

Citizen Satisfaction With

Private Police in Russia:

Does Satisfaction With

Public Police Matter?

Anna Gurinskaya1,2 and Mahesh K. Nalla3

Abstract

In this study, we assess citizens’ satisfaction with private security guards (PSGs) and

whether contact experience and their assessment about the guards’ competence in

their work and procedural fairness in their interactions influence their satisfaction.

We also examine whether their general satisfaction with public police mediates the

factors that influence their satisfaction with PSGs. Results from a sample of 364

respondents from the city of St. Petersburg show that citizens come in contact

with private police in large numbers as they do with public police. Findings suggest

that citizens’ judgments of effectiveness and procedural fairness of private police

appear to be the strongest predictors of citizens’ satisfaction with PSGs. In addition,

respondents’ satisfaction with private police on various dimensions of professionalism,

effectiveness, and procedural fairness of PSGs is partially mediated by citizen

satisfaction with public police, a finding that does not hold for those who had contact

with PSGs. We discuss implications in light of strengthening training protocols by

incorporating procedural justice issues to highlight citizen-guard interactions, as well

as to enhance self-legitimacy of guards.

Keywords

private police, public police, satisfaction with police, private security guards, citizen

satisfaction, satisfaction with security guards

1St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia

2Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, St. Petersburg, Russia

3Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA

Corresponding Author:

Anna Gurinskaya, St. Petersburg State University, 7/9, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia.

Email: anna.gurinskaya@gmail.com

890210CCJXXX10.1177/1043986219890210Journal of Contemporary Criminal JusticeGurinskaya and Nalla

research-article2019