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“Being Diverse and Being Included, Don’t Go Together in Policing”—Diversity, Inclusion, and Australian Constables

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  • Toby Miles-Johnson

    (School of Social Sciences, Western Sydney University, Liverpool, NSW 2710, Australia)

  • Suzanna Fay

    (School of Social Science, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia)

Abstract

Across the globe, there is little research that examines the impact of diversity on police practice, particularly whether it increases or decreases the competency of the police organization or whether police officers perceive diversity within the organization and the addition of diverse officers as positive or negative. Contributing new findings to the extant policing literature, this research analyzes data collected from interviews with forty-six constables working in one of the largest Australian state police organizations. Contributing five key findings regarding diversity and inclusion in policing, this research suggests that lack of acceptance of diversity broadly, and bias towards diverse identified officers, results in the exclusion of officers, and a workforce that is fragmented. The lack of unification constables in this research have with diverse colleagues is concerning given that a cohesive police team increases the safety of all officers, improves the effectiveness of police response, strengthens the communication between police and citizens (as well as communication within the organization), increases the morale of officers, and will support the legitimacy of the organization. Whilst constables in this study were not asked questions about their own implicit or explicit levels of bias towards members of diverse groups, the unsolicited responses from many of the constables, as well as the recognition of Whiteness in terms of the racial identity of many officers within the organization, suggests that constables in this study are biased towards officers that are not part of the majority group.

Suggested Citation

  • Toby Miles-Johnson & Suzanna Fay, 2022. "“Being Diverse and Being Included, Don’t Go Together in Policing”—Diversity, Inclusion, and Australian Constables," Societies, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-19, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:12:y:2022:i:4:p:100-:d:852740
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fridell, Lorie & Lim, Hyeyoung, 2016. "Assessing the racial aspects of police force using the implicit- and counter-bias perspectives," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 36-48.
    2. Toby Miles-Johnson & Kate Linklater, 2022. "‘Rorting the System’: Police Detectives, Diversity, and Workplace Advantage," Societies, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-20, April.
    3. Toby Miles-Johnson, 2019. "Policing Diverse People: How Occupational Attitudes and Background Characteristics Shape Police Recruits’ Perceptions," SAGE Open, , vol. 9(3), pages 21582440198, July.
    4. Toby Miles-Johnson & Suzanna Fay & Susann Wiedlitzka, 2021. "Policing Minority Communities: How Perception of Engagement and Level of “Awareness” Influence Officer Attitudes toward Practice," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-23, February.
    5. Dietlind Stolle & Stuart Soroka & Richard Johnston, 2008. "When Does Diversity Erode Trust? Neighborhood Diversity, Interpersonal Trust and the Mediating Effect of Social Interactions," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 56(1), pages 57-75, March.
    6. Jasmeet Gulati, 2018. "Is Othering Antithetical To Human Rights?," Proceedings of Law and Political Sciences Conferences 7909483, International Institute of Social and Economic Sciences.
    7. Paoline, Eugene A., 2003. "Taking stock: Toward a richer understanding of police culture," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 199-214.
    8. Dietlind Stolle & Stuart Soroka & Richard Johnston, 2008. "When Does Diversity Erode Trust? Neighborhood Diversity, Interpersonal Trust and the Mediating Effect of Social Interactions," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 56, pages 57-75, March.
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