Keep Calm and Carry on – There Is Nothing to See Here: A Study of Organisational Response Towards Racist Bullying and Harassment of BAME Women in Policing

Abstract

This article explores the neglected and under-researched area of bullying and harassment of Black and Asian Ethnic Minority (BAME) women in the police service in England. Undertaken within the context of an observed and unique crisis stemming from the high-profile case of bullying by the Home Secretary Rt Hon. Priti Patel towards her former Permanent Secretary, Sir Philip Rutnam and the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson’s reaction to it. This paper argues, that the turning of the tables by the Home Secretary and the fall-out from the investigation to it, could have adverse and unintended consequences for BAME women in UK policing. It is as this article argues a future mea-culpa moment waiting to happen underpinned by the political push back against the Black Lives Matters movement. A mixed method approach has been applied to this research including, interviews, data analysis of recently published figures, review of published literature and recent case studies. The article concludes that women of colour are one of the most vulnerable groups within the police. The challenges that they face within the organisation need to be recognised as they felt, their experiences were ignored and it undermined them as individuals. This was compounded by their negative experience of reporting instances of bullying and harassment.