'Every time it happens, you question continuing as an officer': the experiences of police officers as victims of hate crime

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Mawby, RC and Zempi, I ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1719-8573, 2018. 'Every time it happens, you question continuing as an officer': the experiences of police officers as victims of hate crime. Policing: An international Journal, 41 (5). ISSN 1363-951X

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Abstract

• Purpose: This paper fills a research and literature gap by examining the nature and impact of hate crime victimisation on police officers, and their responses to it. The research explores victimisation due to the occupational stigma of policing and the personal characteristics and identities of individual officers.
• Design/methodology/approach: The research design is qualitative, based on 20 in-depth interviews with police officers in one English police force. Thematic analysis was applied to the data.
• Findings: All participants had experienced hate crime arising from their occupational or personal identities. Initially shocked, officers became desensitized and responded in different ways. These include tolerating and accepting hate crime but also challenging it through communication and the force of law.
• Research limitations: This research is based on a small sample. It does not claim to be representative but it is exploratory, aiming to stimulate debate and further research on a contemporary policing issue.
• Practical implications: If further research were to confirm these findings, there are implications for police training, officer welfare and support, supervision and leadership.
• Originality/value: The police occupy a problematic position within hate crime literature and UK legislation. This paper opens up debate on an under-researched area and presents the first published study of the hate crime experiences of police officers.

Item Type:	Journal article
Alternative Title:	Police officers' experiences as victims of hate crime
Publication Title:	Policing: An international Journal
Creators:	Mawby, R.C. and Zempi, I.
Publisher:	Emerald
Date:	2018
Volume:	41
Number:	5
ISSN:	1363-951X
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Linda Sullivan
Date Added:	21 Feb 2018 12:43
Last Modified:	10 Feb 2021 15:06
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/32779