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Widening Access: Improving Police Relations With Hard to Reach Groups

NCJ Number
188185
Author(s)
Trevor Jones; Tim Newburn
Date Published
2001
Length
87 pages
Annotation
Drawing on a telephone survey of all police forces in England and Wales, as well as more detailed qualitative research conducted in five forces, this report examines a range of police force initiatives designed to strengthen community relations, particularly with vulnerable sections of the community that are difficult to reach.
Abstract
The report highlights some of the problems with the concept of "hard-to-reach groups." Use of the term is often inconsistent and misleading and can have a stigmatizing effect. It emphasizes the need for police forces to focus on the development of relationships with the many diverse communities they serve. In so doing, the report recommends that hard-to-reach groups should be identified more precisely, rather than relying on a prescribed set of groups (e.g., minority ethnic, gay and lesbian communities). The ways in which police forces have identified and negotiated access with hard-to-reach groups are described in this report, particularly the role that formal consultation plays in these processes. It is clear from the forces studied that the impact of consultation with hard-to-reach groups has been greatest on central and local police policies rather than on officer practice and the attitudes of the community. The report also identifies some of the limitations of consultation, highlighting, for example, the dangers of consultation overload and the lack of coordination. It points to the need for realism in what can be achieved by consultation, emphasizing that consultation is important but not a substitute for more practical and effective community involvement. 32 references