The attitudes of Scottish black men towards the efficacy of the police in maintaining social order in the United Kingdom during and after the 2011 riots
Abstract
The riots in London of 2011, arguably the most disruptive events of social disorder seen in this
millennium, began after the police shooting of mixed-race Mark Duggan. Sociologically, the
riots raise questions about the significance of the police in maintaining social order in a multi
racial society and why social order remained in Scotland. Therefore, this study aims to the
explore the attitudes of Scottish black men towards the efficacy of the police in maintaining
social order in the United Kingdom during and since the 2011 riots. Five Scottish-born black
men partook in semi-structured individual interviews, which were analysed using the
interpretative phenomenological analysis approach. This analysis identified three
superordinate themes; Scottish identity, police legitimacy and labelling of the “black criminal”,
each with their own related sub-ordinate themes. These interviews provided valuable insight
into the black experience and perception of policing and highlight important avenues for future
research.