Tenuous relations: Ethnic–racial cultural and police disrespect in Finland

Abstract

The relationship between ethnic–racial cultural communities and the Finnish police is evolving, and relatively little research is available within the criminal justice system that highlights police practices and behaviour towards ethnic and racial cultural in Finland. There is also a lack of scientific certainty about how to assess ethnic and racial cultural’ experiences of fair, unfair and impolite treatment by the police. The available research suggests that the experiences of Black and other ethnic–racial cultural groups in the criminal justice system differs from that of the ethnic majority population, and this tends to increase the tense relationship between the police and ethnic–racial cultural communities. The data on which this article is based were collected between April 2013 and July 2015 among ethnic and racial cultural groups from three different sites to explore ethnic cultural perceptions of legal authority in Finland. The experiences of 205 people with a cultural ethnic background were used to examine ethnic–racial cultural views on four types of police behaviour—respect, fairness, politeness and courtesy—in deciding whether to trust or distrust the police. We compared adverse encounters between members of ethnic and racial cultural communities and the police using a mixed-methods approach to procedural justice in a questionnaire and face-to-face interviews. The study indicates that hostile police humour contributes to a negative attitude, fear and lack of trust towards the police, whereas every respectful interaction brings about a positive attitude.