Projects per year
Abstract
Remote islands are at the periphery of thinking about policing both in theory and in practice. Despite a rich tradition of police research, studies of rural policing are rare, and of policing in remote areas rarer still. Consequently, both the conceptual development of police scholarship and the development of operational policing and strategy have both been underpinned by a particular model of urban environment. This paper presents early findings from a major ethnographic study of policing in the remote Northern islands of Scotland, and considers what, if anything, is distinctive about policing in remote small islands.
Drawing on over 600 hours of ethnographic fieldwork of policing and island life, this paper describes the challenges and experiences of policing in small remote islands and the form of policing these produce. It argues first, the extraordinary conditions of remote island police work engender a style which emphasises under-enforcement, transparency, and in particular a striking empathy and humanity. Second, while this police style is felt by officers to be distinctive, it is in fact at the heart of all police work. Remote islands therefore present a paradox: their extraordinary conditions result in ordinary policing. And third, the perception that remote island policing is unusual suggests that what needs explanation is not island but urban policing.
Drawing on over 600 hours of ethnographic fieldwork of policing and island life, this paper describes the challenges and experiences of policing in small remote islands and the form of policing these produce. It argues first, the extraordinary conditions of remote island police work engender a style which emphasises under-enforcement, transparency, and in particular a striking empathy and humanity. Second, while this police style is felt by officers to be distinctive, it is in fact at the heart of all police work. Remote islands therefore present a paradox: their extraordinary conditions result in ordinary policing. And third, the perception that remote island policing is unusual suggests that what needs explanation is not island but urban policing.
Original language | English |
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Number of pages | 21 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 21 Aug 2020 |
Publication series
Name | Edinburgh School of Law Research Paper |
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No. | 2020/17 |
Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)
- policing
- islands
- ethnography
- remoteness
- rural
- criminology
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'Understanding Police Work in the Remote Northern isles of Scotland: The Extraordinary Ordinariness of Island Policing'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 2 Finished
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Policing at the periphery: understanding police work in the remote Northern islands of Scotland
1/04/17 → 30/06/18
Project: Research
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Policing at the periphery: understanding police work in the remote Northern Islands of Scotland
3/01/17 → 16/09/17
Project: Research
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Weather, light and darkness in remote island policing: Expanding the horizons of the criminological imagination
Souhami, A., 20 Jun 2022, (E-pub ahead of print) In: The British Journal of Criminology: An International Review of Crime and Society (BJC). 17 p., azac052.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
A Systematic Review of the Research on Rural Policing: Expert Report prepared for the Joint Federal/Provincial Commission into the April 2020 Nova Scotia Mass Casualty
Souhami, A., 30 May 2022, Nova Scotia: Mass Casualty Commission . 56 p.Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report
Press/Media
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Gossip and reputation in remote island police work: problems of police power
Anna Souhami (Speaker)
10 Jul 2024Activity: Academic talk or presentation types › Oral presentation
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Local policing and service delivery in remote islands
Anna Souhami (Invited speaker)
25 Apr 2023Activity: Academic talk or presentation types › Oral presentation
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Policing in the Northern Isles of Scotland
Anna Souhami (Invited speaker)
13 Mar 2023Activity: Academic talk or presentation types › Oral presentation