Programme full

Friday 17 April 2015 15:15 - 16:45
PAPER SESSION 8
While some narratives were themed with notions of mutual, active communication and consent free of coercion others
were imbued with inconsistencies - often exposed in discussions around the role of intoxicants and sex within
established relationships.
By viewing these findings through a Bourdieusian lens we will consider whether there has yet been a disjuncture of
habitus and field for these men via a slow erosion of social and cultural discourses, and whether this has created a
reflexive space for men's reformulation of normative understandings
‘Making It Right for Families’: The Critical Tensions in Detectives’ Interactions with Murder Victims’ Families
Foster, J.A.
(London School of Economics and Political Science)
The relationship forged with murder victims' families in the early stages of an investigation is one of the most central
but also emotionally charged aspects of murder inquiries. The manner in which the news of a homicide is conveyed,
the timeliness with which it is delivered, the words that police officers use and the way families are treated are vitally
important. In this paper, drawing on a three year ethnographic study of murder investigators, I explore the relationship
between victims' families and the investigative team. In many respects detectives and families shared similar
objectives – wanting those responsible apprehended and convicted. However, a number of critical tensions in the
police's relationships with families were apparent; tensions that involved a delicate balancing act between the needs
of the family and the needs of the investigation, particularly in its early stages where families might have vital
information about the circumstances surrounding a murder or may even have been suspects themselves. For
families, at a time of acute grieving and trauma, trust in and expectations of police conduct were central issues.
However, their expectations, often shaped by fictional media portrayals, frequently led them to believe that the police
could, and should, act faster and more effectively than was achievable. Both these factors had important implications
for some Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic victims' families, some of whom were deeply suspicious of police and their
willingness to find those responsible for the victim's death.
Rights, Violence and Crime 2
W323, HAMISH WOOD BUILDING
'The Riots Were Where the Police Were': Deconstructing the Pendleton Riot
Jeffery, B., Tufail, W.
(Sheffield Hallam University)
This presentation takes issue with the dominant framing of the August 2011 English Riots in terms of criminality,
nihilism and 'shopping with violence'. Noting the ways in which the riots were (mis)represented by rolling 24hour news,
our point of departure is a lack of both journalistic sources and sustained empirical research on the varied locations
that witnessed disorder. We will attempt to problematise this dominant framing by exploring the dynamics of one
particular event, the Pendleton Riot (Salford) of Tuesday 9th August 2011. It will be argued that the focus in Salford
was not on looting, but on attacks on the police as the primary, most visible and most intrusive form of disciplinary
state power for the marginal working class. Our interviews with witnesses suggest that the police decision to 'put on a
show of force' was instrumental in the riot breaking out where and when it did. In our contention, historically poor
police-community relations have been exacerbated by processes of gentrification and securitisation. A succession of
local growth coalitions have created enclaves for the middle class amidst some of the worst deprivation in the UK
(processes accompanied by repressive policing policies). We therefore interpret the Pendleton Riot as, at least in part,
as resistance against the police and an attempt to reclaim space by a dispossessed population. Indeed, the official
responses seem to confirm this view, centered as they were on articulating the threat that the riots constituted and on
a symbolic re-appropriation of the spaces that were contested.
Community Policing in Transition?: A Reflection of the Community Views in Nigeria
Audu, A.
(University of Liverpool)
There are wide perceptions of the 'police-public divide' among the Nigeria citizens and its negative effect on national
security. Consequently, Police/community partnership as a policy was introduced by the Nigeria authorities in 2003 to
enhance collaboration between the police and community in order to produce safety conditions in the country.
However despite the introduction of the strategy for almost over a decade, the alarming rate of crime in Nigeria at the
moment suggests that the desire of the people in relation to security concerns have not been met. This is partly
303 BSA Annual Conference 2015
Glasgow Caledonian University