Bystander actions from a police perspective

• In Event: Police-citizen encounters and perceptions: procedural justice, crime reporting, contested encounters and bystanders

Abstract

Police officer perform a large part of their work in public space, which means that they often work in the presence of citizens with whom they do not directly interact. These citizens might watch the police perform, or they might even react to police action. However, little is known about what third parties do when officers are policing the streets, and how bystanders might influence police work, while research on bystanders suggests that third parties play an important role of in the unfolding of conflicts and emergencies (Levine et al., 2011; Parks et al., 2013; Philpot et al., 2020).
The aim of the study is to gain insight in what bystanders do when officers are policing the street and how police officers experience different bystander behaviors. To this end, officers were interviewed about their experiences with bystanders and the first author went along with police shifts.
The observations and accounts of officers show that bystanders perform a large variety of neutral, facilitating and obstructing behaviors. Police officers are more aware of their visibility when bystanders are watching. In hindsight officers often appreciate the help of bystanders, but they also address some challenges: bystanders are not trained, there is a risk they will fall victim, and officers feel more comfortable working together with colleagues than strangers. Obstructing officers are on the one hand described as being ‘part of the job’, on the other hand bystanders can make the work of officers more chaotic or threatening. Officers especially find it challenging when bystanders question their authority.

Authors

• Marly van Bruchem, Open University

• Karin Proost, Open University and KU Leuven

• Joris van Ruysseveldt, Open University

• Marie Rosenkrantz Lindegaard, NSCR and University of Amsterdam