‘Looking back, i wouldn’t join up again’: the lived experiences of police officers as victims of bias and prejudice perpetrated by fellow staff within an english police force

Abstract

Women, ethnic minority and LGB police officers often experience prejudice, disadvantage and exclusion within police forces because of their perceived 'otherness' in a predominantly white, heterosexual, male organisation. In the context of an increasingly diverse service, the paper argues that the concept of intersectionality is important in order to understand the experiences of police officers who encounter bias and prejudice because of their multiple, intersecting identities. Drawing on data from qualitative interviews with 20 individuals based in an English police force, the paper examines their occupational experiences of bias, discrimination and exclusion perpetrated by their colleagues and supervisors. Utilising Hirschman's (1970) 'exit, voice and loyalty' model, the paper analyses how police officers are affected by, and respond to these experiences. Taken together, these arguments lay the foundation for future work to further understand the experiences of police officers as victims of bias and prejudice due to their multiple, intersecting identities.

Leaders’ ambition and followers’ cheating behavior: The role of performance pressure and leader identification

“…The officers were on the job training for intermediate and upper-class courses with 16 weeks duration. Studying performance pressure and its relationship with leader ambition and leader identification on a sample of police officers appears practically interesting due to the high stressful performance demand of this job ( Romosiou et al, 2018 ; Zempi, 2018 ) and the relevance of the research question with the context of this study. In February 2019, an Initial email was sent to all of the 437 officers who were part of the training center.…”

Race, ethnicity, and discrimination at work: a new analysis of legal protections and gaps in all 193 UN countries

“…Studies have also documented racial and ethnic discrimination in promotions across professions, from police forces to law firms to universities (Tomlinson, 2019;Zempi, 2020). From Finland to South Africa to the United Kingdom and the United States, workers from marginalized racial and ethnic groups report discrimination in promotion, consistent with the research evidence based on multilevel multivariate studies of discrimination, as well as based on implicit bias testing of supervisors (Hatch et al, 2016;Mayiya et al, 2019;Stalker, 1994;Yu, 2020;Zempi, 2020). In Canada, research has documented that visible minorities have less upward mobility even after controlling for education, work experience, time with the employer, and other factors (Javdani, 2020), including both supply-and demand-side factors (Javdani and McGee, 2018;Yap, 2010;Yap and Konrad, 2009).…”

“…, 2016; Mayiya et al. , 2019; Stalker, 1994; Yu, 2020; Zempi, 2020). In Canada, research has documented that visible minorities have less upward mobility even after controlling for education, work experience, time with the employer, and other factors (Javdani, 2020), including both supply- and demand-side factors (Javdani and McGee, 2018; Yap, 2010; Yap and Konrad, 2009).…”

“…Studies have also documented racial and ethnic discrimination in promotions across professions, from police forces to law firms to universities (Tomlinson, 2019; Zempi, 2020). From Finland to South Africa to the United Kingdom and the United States, workers from marginalized racial and ethnic groups report discrimination in promotion, consistent with the research evidence based on multilevel multivariate studies of discrimination, as well as based on implicit bias testing of supervisors (Hatch et al.…”

Microaggression within the patrol service – a barrier against ethnic representation?

“…Researchers have identified a host of factors that work against minority representation. A racialised police culture, for example, bias and prejudice from colleagues and supervisors due to being targeted as 'different' (see, Zempi, 2020) or ethnic minorities being rigorously tested (see, Peterson & Uhnoo, 2012), might constitute such a barrier. The literature presents racism as a barrier to both recruitment, retention and serving the community (Cashmore, 2001;Holdaway, 1997;Jaeger & Vitalis, 2005;McMurray et al, 2010).…”