Austerity policing, emotional labour and the boundaries of police work: an ethnography of a police force control room in England

This article discusses the changing role of policing in an era of austerity from the perspective of frontline civilian police staff (call handlers and dispatchers) in a force control room (FCR). It draws on a symbolic interactionist framework and the concept of emotional labour in order to explore t...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Lumsden, Karen (Author)
Contributors: Black, Alex (Other)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2018
In: The British journal of criminology
Year: 2018, Volume: 58, Issue: 3, Pages: 606-623
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
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Keywords:
Austerity
Civilianization
Control room
Emotion
Ethnography
Policing
Polizei
Einsparungen
Folgen
Polizeinotrufanlage
Description
Summary:This article discusses the changing role of policing in an era of austerity from the perspective of frontline civilian police staff (call handlers and dispatchers) in a force control room (FCR). It draws on a symbolic interactionist framework and the concept of emotional labour in order to explore the emotional responses and strategies engaged in by staff when responding to 101 non-emergency calls and 999 emergency calls. The clash of public and police expectations, and the emotional labour expended when managing this clash, provide a valuable insight into the frontline staff perspective on the changing role of the police under austerity. Data are drawn from ethnographic fieldwork in the control room of a police force in England.
ISSN:1464-3529
DOI:10.1093/bjc/azx045