The need to create a narrative: examining the justifications police used to target drugs in the lead up to the 2011 London riots

Abstract

Street-level officers in London spend a considerable amount of time stopping and searching people suspected of possessing drugs. In 2010/2011 many boroughs reported that more than half their stop and search activity was directed at finding drugs. This paper explores how officers explained their reasons to target drugs as a part of their policing practice in the twelve months leading up to the 2011 riots. Analysis shows that officers over emphasized the dangers of drugs, their prominence in the community, and the drugs-crime connection in order to justify their continued targeting of drugs. Additionally, confiscating drugs provided officers with a tangible outcome that eluded them in many other situations. As the role of a police officer has changed due to the introduction and emphasis on community policing, I argue that officers used drug busts as a way of retaining the classic façade of policing identified by Reiner and others.