Policing, Accountability and the Black and Minority Ethnic Communities in Northern Ireland
Published on 1 February, 2006.
The Northern Ireland Policing Board (NIPB) and the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland (OPONI) commissioned the Institute for Conflict Research to undertake research on the attitudes towards, and experiences of, the new policing arrangements in Northern Ireland by individuals from the black and minority ethnic (BME) population. To date little has been written on the relationship between the PSNI and members of minority ethnic communities. There is, however, an extensive literature documenting the difficulties that exist in many other countries between the police and people from ethnic and racial minorities and the contributory role that racism and stereotyping by police officers can add to these problems. The main issues addressed are the BME population’s attitudes towards and knowledge of the:
- Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and their experience of engaging with the PSNI;
- NIPB and District Policing Partnerships (DPPs); and
- The role of OPONI and experience of making complaints to OPONI about the PSNI.