News media framing of cultural and political expression in public policing in England and Wales

Greig-Midlane, Jack; MacDonald, Finley

Abstract

As a public institution at the heart of the modern liberal democratic political economic model, policing has traditionally aligned with notions of impartiality and neutrality. Thus, the role of the police is to prevent social conflicts without taking a side in them and achieving peaceful coexistence (Wood 2020). This notion has, however, been challenged by other liberal perspectives of policing and more proactive forms of policing that explicitly argue for policing to take an active moral stance (Wood 2020). Section 3 of the College of Policing’s (2014, p.7) code of ethics reflects these different views, informing officers that they must act impartially but also ‘take a proactive approach’ and ‘actively seek or use opportunities to promote equality and diversity’. Impartiality in policing procedures during encounters with the public is thought to improve public confidence in policing and legitimacy (Sunshine and Tyler 2003), but communities also want police to be representative of community values (Girling et al. 2000; Jackson and Sunshine 2007).

A number of race-related scandals in past decades have led to calls for reforms to policies and traditional police cultures that may be harmful to particular communities and officers from minority groups. This presents challenges for police organisations on how to improve relations and interactions with these communities. Such improvements, especially in the post-Scarman and McPherson eras, are focussed on increasing trust, confidence, legitimacy and cooperation of these groups as well as improving minority representation and experiences in the police workforce (Bowling et al. 2019). However, these changes have not ended criticism from progressive movements and activists, as illustrated by the Black Lives Matter movement and the Sarah Everard scandal (Fekete 2022).

Furthermore, socio-economic developments in 21st century Europe and beyond have triggered a ‘populist era’ and a rise in illiberal democracy (Mudde 2016; Wodak 2019), with invigorated movements against globalisation (Gerbaudo 2017) and increasing attacks on liberal democratic institutions (Wodak 2019). The clash between more liberal/progressive police reforms and policies and emboldened reactionary and populist politics may create a site of political and social contestation that policing now operates in, leading to new forms of public and corporate media scrutiny and narratives of police actions (Bowling et al. 2019), including any efforts or incidents where police promote political causes or ideas. Police political belief and expression is an under-researched topic, and this research project intends to explore how this issue is framed by influential news media organisations.

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Abstract
• Conference Name: The British Society of Criminology Conference
• Start Date: Jul 10, 2024
• End Date: Jul 12, 2024
• Acceptance Date: Jun 18, 2024
• Deposit Date: Aug 12, 2024
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/12780843