Research on the experience of policing in Ireland by diverse communities

Description

Policing diverse and minority communities poses a challenge to every police service, including the national police service in Ireland – the Garda Síochána. It involves a mixture of complex issues including societal biases, prejudice, language barriers, different cultural practices and beliefs, and historical experiences with law enforcement. These have an impact on the volume and nature of interactions between the police and members of diverse and minority communities (‘under-policing’ or ‘over-policing’ and profiling, including racial profiling), which in turn can affect levels of trust and confidence in the police, perception of police legitimacy and cooperation with officers, to include the initial decision to report hate crimes. Indeed, the literature suggests that members of diverse and minority groups, which also includes racial minorities, have lower levels of trust in the police, and tend to evaluate the police negatively and as biased Thus, the objective of this commissioned research is to achieve a better understanding of the way members of diverse and minority communities in Ireland are currently experiencing and perceiving policing. Since this research may form part of a wider piece of work into the future, the Authority is not identifying in advance a particular minority community, ethnic, national, colour or racial group. However, the research project must include at least two different groups, provide a clear rational of the selection of the groups and discuss intersectionality. In order to encourage inclusion and collaboration of grassroots and other representative groups, the Authority would welcome in particular partnerships between researchers and grassroots/civil society groups.