The researchers interviewed 121 ethnic minority youths living in Finland, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, about their experiences with police practices. The young people say they feel that police officers suspect them for no clear reason, which causes strong feelings of injustice. On the other hand, they describe encounters when they have felt protected by the police and in general trusted the police institution.
The article emphasizes positive perceptions of the police, but also stresses that targeted police practices risk damaging notions of procedural justice, trust for the police, and the ethnic minorities’ sense of belonging to society. The authors point out that it is important to be mindful of minorities’ perspectives on police practices to stimulate integration. Police officers may not always know or notice that tone of voice, greetings, starring at someone, or asking for personal information can be experienced as potentially threatening.
Veronika Burcar Alm co-wrote the article with Elsa Saarikkomäki, Mie Birk Haller, Randi Solhjell, Anne Alvesalo-Kuusi, Torsten Kolind och Geoffrey Hunt. David Wästerfors and Veronika Burcar Alm conducted the interviews done in Sweden. That material is presented in depth in the article “They are harsher to me than to my friend who is blonde. Police critique among ethnic minority youth in Sweden”, published 2019 in Journal of Youth Studies.
You find more information about Veronika Burcar Alm's research on her personal page.
