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.