Police funded research to help officers connect with ‘seldom heard’ communities

Jointly commissioned by Police Scotland, the Scottish Institute for Policing Research (SIPR) and the Scottish Police Authority (SPA), the series of academic reports were launched at a formal event in Edinburgh on Wednesday (April 26).

The five projects, undertaken by academics and other partners from the public sector as well as non-governmental organisations across Scotland, were commissioned in June 2021 to support engagement between policing and historically under-represented groups.

The SIPR said each of the projects represents “an important area of research with the aim of improving vital police-community engagements”.

Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Emma Bond, said: “This important research underlines our commitment to listening to all our communities so we can continually improve how we represent, reflect and serve them.

“Providing every citizen with a just and effective police service is fundamental to policing legitimacy and to our ability to keep people safe.

“A great strength of Police Scotland is that our officers and staff are drawn from different backgrounds and experiences. What unites us is our shared and non-negotiable set of values – integrity, fairness, respect and a commitment to upholding human rights.

“I am grateful to everyone who contributed to this work and we are already considering the recommendations made so that we can continue to design our services to best meet the needs of our communities.”

Tom Halpin, Scottish Police Authority board member, said: “It is critical for delivery of policing in Scotland that we understand barriers to engagement and work to build relationships with those communities which could be considered ‘seldom heard’.

“The authority’s own independent public polling on confidence in policing tells us that factors such as age, geographical location and the level of deprivation in a community can affect confidence in policing, all factors which can contribute to being ‘seldom heard’.

“The authority is committed to policing in the public interest, to do that we must understand public views, opinions and concerns. The research published today will allow us to gain more insight into where to target our activity and attention to ensure we build the strongest relationships we can with all communities in Scotland.”

SIPR associate director Dr Megan O’Neill added: “This research plays an important role in ensuring that the voices of seldom heard communities are listened to in order to build effective and meaningful connections between these communities and the police officers who serve them.”

The five projects, which can be found on the SIPR website and on Police Scotland’s engagement hub, are:

• Accounting for Complexities: An Intersectional Approach to Enhancing Police Practitioner Accountability, Legitimacy and Sustainable Reform;
• Inquiring Together: Serving Police Officers and Ethnic Minority Communities;
• To be seen and heard: developing photovoice as a method for the police to engage with young people in under-served communities;
• The role of empathy in police contact with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds (Policing young care-experienced and LGBTQI+ People); and
• Refugee and asylum-seeker experiences, trust and confidence with Police Scotland.

SIPR is a strategic collaboration between 15 of Scotland’s universities, Police Scotland and the SPA.

Police Scotland outlined action to address injustice and disadvantage in society and the organisation under its Policing Together strategy last September.