When trust turns digital: why relational cues matter in online crime-reporting portals

Abstract Objectives To test whether trust in the police (a) improves the online crime-reporting experience and (b) increases support for digital reporting. To examine whether a procedurally just follow-up email and primed motivations enhance or amplify these effects. Methods In a 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 factorial experiment, 638 UK participants reported a hypothetical crime online. Experimental conditions: trust prime, reporting motivation, follow-up communication and crime type. Outcomes: user experience (fair and efficient) and support for online reporting. Results Most participants felt the experience was fair and efficient. Support for online reporting was generally high. The trust prime improved both user experience and support. A procedurally-just follow-up email increased support but did not interact with trust. Motivation and crime type had no measurable effects. Conclusions Systems that engage trust help users interpret impersonal processes as procedurally fair and efficient. Lacking such cues, online reporting risks being a hollow transaction—undermining police legitimacy.