Originally published here.
The voices of Black and Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) women working in police services in England have been marginalized in much of the existing debate about diversity, race and policing. Their voices need to be heard and acknowledged in fostering their own empowerment within the intersecting oppressions of race and gender and also for their social standing. This article emphasizes the importance of capturing and highlighting the experiences and stories of BAME women who have experienced bullying, harassment and discrimination in the workplace in some form or other.
Moreover, the article focuses on understanding the day-to-day struggles of BAME women within police services in England in how they deal with everyday unfair treatment, racism and sexism at work. It is important to understand their coping mechanisms and survival strategies within the institutional setup. The article is based on a study that focuses on whether police culture acts as a facilitator for the bullying and harassment of BAME women and explores whether there is an underlying discourse as to why BAME women suffer bullying and harassment within police services in England.
The study also aims to identify the nature of this discourse and how it has impacted on the progression of BAME women in policing. Waddington (2009) identified that there is very little comparative research on Black and White men and women police officers in police services in England. Mirza and Sheridan (2003) contends that gender is viewed as White issue, whereas it is taken for granted that race is viewed as Black male issue. BAME women appear to fall into the cracks between the two. They are often invisible, occupying a blind spot in mainstream policy and research studies that talk about women on the one hand, and minority ethnic groups on the other hand. There is an apparent gap between policy and legislation, and between experience and practice. At the heart of this gap is the lived experience of BAME women.
Existing research around race and policing has focused primarily on the generic experiences of racism by BAME police officers, regardless of their gender (Ghaffur, 2004). To date, the experiences of BAME women have been under-researched and furthermore, there has been no examination of the experiences of civilian police staff working in the areas of administration, personnel, research, analytical or other supportive roles. There is an apparent gap in the knowledge of the experiences of BAME women in the police services in England and it is concerning that although official statistics highlight the encouraging rise of female advancement in the police, this was not replicated by either BAME men or women (Ministry of Justice, 2015).
This made it important to examine how the intersectionality of race and gender manifests within an organization like the police in the area of bullying and harassment of BAME women. All the research participants in this study had suffered bullying and harassment over a period time (6 months or over), regardless of whether they had been subjected to prejudice or illegal discrimination. They had been made to feel inferior and victimized, and this constitutes bullying.
The participants felt that, in addition to subordination and sexualization, they were also ‘invisible’ to their White counterparts and perceived as incapable of holding supervisory ranks. This resulted in tactics of undermining by their colleagues and peers and is reflective of a culture of police racism (Waddington, 2008). The article highlights that BAME police officers and staff are subject to disproportionate treatment in disciplinary procedures and struggle to integrate into a predominantly White police culture. However, BAME women are one of the most vulnerable groups in the police services in England. The article advocates that the unique experiences of BAME women within the police services need to be recognized and acknowledged.
This investigation and reports into racism in the police services can contribute to raise awareness about the experiences of BAME women facing bullying and harassment. The interviewees all stressed that they felt that their experiences were ignored and undermined them as individuals. This impacted adversely on their confidence and mental health because of the sustained and targeted nature of the bullying and harassment which they suffered. This was compounded by their negative experience of reporting instances of bullying and harassment.
Recent efforts to increase diversity in the police services in England, by direct entry, graduate entry and fast track entry aim to change the culture of the police and improve diversity. It is important to note that recruitment of diverse groups into the police does not make the organization less racist or more tolerant. Rather it is attitudes and behaviour towards minority groups and their treatment in key processes such as retention, progression, discipline and complaints that are important to understand and monitor. It is therefore important that the lived experiences and issues faced by BAME women are acknowledged by their colleagues and peers and that the key enforcement and inspectorate agencies involved should also monitor the issues faced by BAME women within the police services in England.
You can read the complete article here.