“Eyes and Ears”: An examination of the role and impact of community policing in the detection and investigation of human trafficking in Scotland

Abstract

Human trafficking (HT) is gaining increased recognition and attention in Scotland and beyond. There is an acknowledgement that this is a complex issue and new approaches are needed to improve policing responses. This PhD research sought to examine the impact of and interaction between community policing (CP) and HT. This offers a different perspective on the issue and adds to scholarship and knowledge on what can work in HT policing. Theory was built from pulling together literature and case studies on CP and on HT. This suggested that there was the possibility for CP to contribute to HT policing in several ways.

To explore whether this was mirrored in practice, the research took a mixed method approach. A document analysis was undertaken to examine if and where CP fits within HT strategy and policy in Scotland. This was followed by an online survey for CP officers and interviews conducted with police officers working in either CP or HT in order to gather experiences, views and opinions on CP and HT in Scotland. These were examined to determine CP officers’ knowledge and understanding of HT and where CP and HT interact and overlap.

Findings ultimately suggest that there is some overlap with CP and HT in Scotland but the current role of CP officers is limited and largely not used deliberately. Whilst there are some contributions from local officers, these are minimal. However, views on the role of CP in HT policing were positive. It was reflected, both in officers’ opinions and in policy, that local efforts were key in theory. This related to CP officers being the “eyes and ears” closest to the problem and able to contribute in valuable ways that specialists who were more removed could not. In practice, however, this role was not fully fostered, realised, or used.