Individual Rights and Multiculturalism in Police Action

Policing a multicultural society, one of the major problems that must be dealt with is the element of prejudice or racism that underlies police work. This problem may be created due to the lack of understanding and the difficulties of communication between the police force and immigrants or minorities, who may belong to different races and religions. Such insensitivity of the police to racial and religious differences has often caused incidents of racial violence. Thus, there is a need to introduce strategies of acculturation among the police force in order to make them more sensitive to issues of race and culture. The conflict is that of individual rights vs. multiculturalism as it arises in the performance of police jobs – the rights of the minorities and people of different religions within the framework of a democratic society.

In Western countries, such as Britain, France, Canada, and the United States, tension and conflict exist between the police and visible racial minorities (Reiner, 1985). Due to the higher incidence of the police targeting people who belong to the minorities and different races within a multicultural society, members of minority groups are afraid of the police and do not trust them. They do not see the police as protectors of law and order but as perpetrators of violence and injustice against their racial groups (Skolnick & Fyfe, 1993).

The Los Angeles Police Department was once touted as “a shining example of the best in reform policing” (Sparrow, Moore, & Kennedy, 1990) but the shocking recorded and publicly televised beating of a young black man named Rodney King showed that so-called reforms had not made the expected positive changes in police racism. In the glare of the media, police officers tended to be on their best behavior, but the secret recording was a harsh depiction of the cruel realities existing in the field where members of the police were insensitive to cultural and racial differences and viewed minorities from the perspective of stereotyped generalizations.

Castles (1992p: 1) has characterized police racism as the process whereby the police “stigmatize, harass” or otherwise discriminate against certain social groups on the basis of “phenotypical or cultural markers, or national origin.” Distinctive traits of each race or religion set it apart and distinguish it from the majority and/or from other groups and often from members of the police; these visual, behavioral, linguistic or philosophical differences are likely to incite racism. Moreover, such racism cannot be effectively compartmentalized because it manifests in many different forms depending upon the time and the place; at its most intense, it may erupt into police violence against the minority group. In some instances, prejudices may be covert, while in others, police conduct may be overtly based upon their prejudiced and stereotyped perceptions.

Within a multicultural society, such trends in police violence and racism are disturbing. In a democratic society, different groups are supposed to live cooperatively. The role of the police, as the guardian of law and order in society, is to help ensure that peace and tolerance exist among the various races and religions. In this way, crime can be curtailed or prevented altogether. However, when the police themselves exercise violence against members of other (racial minority) groups, this does not bode well for the rest of society. Thus, criminal behavior cannot be effectively addressed without first ensuring that the police are acculturated to deal with people of different races and religions in a spirit of cooperation and tolerance.

Strategies to Improve Police Conduct and Prevent Racism

Bhiku Parekh (2000) has proposed a model for promoting multiculturalism through the development of a society that is based upon a strong sense of unity among all members of the various groups in the community, and also ingrains a respect for the diversity among the population. Parekh (2000), therefore, argues that the sense of belonging that must be created in a multicultural society cannot “be ethnic or based on shared cultural, ethnic and other characteristics, for a multicultural society is too diverse for that, but political in nature and based upon a shared commitment to the political community. . . [which] involves commitment to its continuing existence and well being” (p. 341). For that reason, he reasons that rather than looking to racial or ethnic similarities as the common bonding ground, the society should look to the political arena, within which all groups could seek to find unifying aims, and thus, thrive in a multicultural society, even as they preserve their differences.

Winstone (1996) has discussed the example of Leicester in the United Kingdom where over 400 ethnic minority associations exist; many of them are awarded contracts by the City Council in order to provide particular services. Because of this, the authorities generally consult with numerous of these minority organisms. As a result, the more democratic society ensures a more positive relationship among the police and the community’s minority members, responds to their needs and culture, which in turn works towards promoting greater understanding among the races and communities and prevents racial violence that often erupts through cultural misunderstandings. Such a framework could also be effective within the institutions of police organizations. If political goals are identified for and by a multicultural community and the members of the police are trained to work towards achieving the common goals with the community, they will view the daily problems they encounter the field from within the multicultural context, rather than from outside of the context.

Janet Chan (2004) provides a comprehensive assessment of reforms that have been introduced in Australia in order to promote effective policing in a multicultural society. She points out that it is often ignorance about other races, languages, and religions that is the cause of police discrimination. She illustrates with the following example: since police officers in Australia were found to be reluctant to use interpreters when dealing with immigrants who were not able to communicate effectively in English, and they themselves were monolingual, they tended to view the immigrants with suspicion. And, because most of these immigrants were poor and unemployed, they were found to be more likely to commit offenses, and as a result, such communities were often over-policed. Chan contends that such racist acts may be the result of poor administration and supervision by superior officers and a general laxity in running operations with an inadequate system of accountability for offences. She also indicates that the very nature of police work is such that due to the kinds of environments that they operate in, examples of stereotyping and racist acts of violence are generally tolerated (2004). Such problems that exist as a function of police reaction to various groups within a multicultural society can be handled either by internal inspection of the entire organization or through the adoption of an entirely new perspective, which does not merely seek to revise existing procedures but rather seeks to devise new and creative ways to deal with the problem.

In recommending strategies for improving policing in a multicultural society, Chan (2004) has pointed out that there is an increasing recognition among police reforms that piecemeal or localized changes are unlikely to achieve any long lasting effects. Therefore, the process of building upon existing procedures does not seem helpful. Rather, new strategies will be more effective. She notes that many of the problems in police conduct are caused by more widespread, general deficiencies in police training, administration, and management. However, such problems can be only superficially addressed with limited reforms in local areas. Citing recommendations and findings in comprehensive police reports that suggest that what is needed is not an enhancement of traditional policing styles, she reiterates instead, that the pressing need is to develop a completely new comprehensive approach to policing that emphasizes innovation, openness, problem solving, and accountability.

Chan (2004) also discusses the differing perceptions among different levels of the police. Therefore, any theory that is formulated to deal with the police in a multicultural society also needs to take into account the existence of multiple cultures within the police force and the passivity of some officers to the acculturation processes in training.

These paradigms of police reform suggest that for police programs to successfully address the problems of police racism and violence in a multicultural society, they must develop a fresh perspective on the problem. The old methods are unlikely to be effective in achieving anything more than a temporary alleviation of existing problems. Openness and innovation must be emphasized. Within a police organization, it is most important to resolve old administrative problems that exist. All members of the police, at all levels, must be made accountable for their conduct, and superior officers, who are at mid-management levels, must be trained to scrutinize the functioning of the police officers in their jurisdiction with greater intensity in order to identify any anomalies in behavior. It is necessary to introduce police training programs that are geared towards teaching police officers how to respect members of other groups. In order that such respect exists, there must, first of all, be more members in the police force who belong to the minority groups, so that through personal interactions, the police are able to eschew their traditional stereotypes. Secondly, the tendency to over-police certainly minorityconcentrated areas must be avoided. Because those who are poor and unemployed may be more likely to engage in criminal behavior, it is therefore extremely important to introduce strong community action to ensure that members of the minority community are integrated within and accepted by the majority community. The policy of the Leicester Government to include minority groups within the political arena has spilled over into every aspect of the community, so that there is a greater understanding and interaction all around (Winstone, 1996). Promoting such positive interactions is likely to achieve, over time, a significant improvement in attitudes, not only of the police towards the minorities but also of the minorities towards the police.

Accountability is another important aspect of the acculturation process. Until every police officer is made accountable for his/her behavior, there are likely to be more such violations of conduct, and racially motivated violence among the police is likely to continue. The police must be trained through interactions with members of minority communities to respect and understand the positions and viewpoints of other races and religions, so that they are able to deal with them with sensitivity and understanding. Every police officer who will function in a multicultural society must be trained to understand and deal with people from different groups. Such training programs can be carried out by introducing more members of minority groups into the police force, by using video programs and simulations to teach the police how to cope in different situations, and by using incidents that have already occurred as an example of what not to do; in this manner, the police members can be taught to be culturally sensitive.

When police officers are acculturated in this manner and are aware of being held accountable for actions perpetrated in the field, this will introduce sensitivity and a greater degree of care in police interaction with members of the public in a multicultural society. Moreover, there must be flexibility introduced into the process of dealing with problems. When old methods are found to be ineffective, the development of new solutions to changing problems within a multicultural society must be promoted. Traditional approaches do not take into account the need for sensitivity in dealing with members from other ethnicities, whose cultural and religious practices may be different and cannot be judged from the same standpoint as that of the majority culture police force. Therefore, inducing police officers to be culturally sensitive will be very effective in improving policing in a multicultural society.

*Turkish Police Major and Ph.D. Student at Spalding University, Department of Leadership Education

**Turkish Police Captain and Ph.D. Student at Spalding University, Department of Leadership Education

References

Castles, S. (1992). Immigration and multiculturalism: Perspectives for the 1990s. Migration Action, 14, (3): 40-43.

Chan, J. B. L. (2004). Policing in a multicultural society. Boston: Cambridge University Press.

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. (1991). Report of the national inquiry into racist violence in Australia. Canberra, Australia: Australian Government Publishing Service.

Jefferson, T., & Walker, M.A.(1993). Attitudes toward the police of ethnic minorities in a provincial city. British Journal of Criminology, 33: 251-266.

Parekh, B. (2000). Rethinking multiculturalism. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave.

Reiner, R. (1985). Police and race relations. in J. Baxter & L. Koffman (eds.), Police: The constitution and the community. Abingdon, UK : Professional Books.

Skolnick, J. H., & James, J. F. (1993). Above the law: Police and the excessive use of force. New York: Free Press.

Sparrow, M. K., Moore, M. H., & Kennedy, D. M. (1990). Beyond 911: A new era for policing. New York: Basic Books.

Winstone, P. (1996). Managing a multi-ethnic and multicultural city in Europe- Leicester. International Social Science Journal, 147: 33-41.