The influence of psychological empowerment on the preferences for responsiveness of the South Korean police officers: the mediating roles of peer and citizen support

Purpose The purpose of this study is to statistically verify the impact of frontline police officers' psychological empowerment (PE) on their preference for responsiveness. Design/methodology/approach This study conducted a survey of 427 police officers in South Korea and developed a structural equation model to verify the relationships between variables. Additionally, the mediating effects of citizen support (CS) and peer support (PS) on the relationship between PE and preferences for responsiveness were examined. Findings The results revealed that police officers who perceived higher levels of PE have higher preferences for responsiveness. Furthermore, CS and PS were found to have significant mediating effects. The direct effect was greater than the indirect effect, and among the indirect effects, the effect of CS was stronger. Practical implications By understanding the important role of PE in policing, this study proposes managerial strategies related to decision-making processes and PE within police organizations. It emphasizes the importance of PE in collectivist cultures like that of South Korea, and suggests policies necessary for citizen-centric policing. Originality/value Past research on police responsiveness has largely focused on measuring how quickly or often police perform specific tasks, such as patrolling. This study makes a distinctive contribution by considering police responsiveness from the perspective of frontline officers' normative expectations, who are responsible for practicing democratic policing in the field.