August 19, 2019
The Paradox of Racial Profiling as a Counterterrorism Strategy and Police Diversity Recruitment in Europe
By: Kossiwa J. Tossoukpe, Founder of KESecurix
European police organizations have, since the 1990s, embarked on police reform initiatives to enhance police workforce diversity (including through the recruitment of individuals from minority groups). These reforms were introduced to better represent the diverse communities they serve, provide improved public safety and rapidly prevent the emergence of new criminal threats. Especially for crimes, such as violent extremism, European police forces have launched operational strategies as part of counter-terrorism initiatives.
The European approach to counter-terrorism, however, has been critiqued by various civil rights organizations. United Nations experts warn that counter-terrorism programs exacerbate racism by relying heavily upon racial profiling and little empirical evidence exists on the effectiveness of countering violent extremism (CVE) initiatives. In fact, studies have found the opposite: where Western European police organizations employ CVE strategies that rely upon the profiling of ethnic/racial minority groups—ironically, the same groups targeted for recruitment— these police organizations contribute to the harmful criminalization and stigmatization of these groups. Moreover, these practices may also function as ‘push factors’ that stoke home-grown terrorist tendencies among minority youth in Europe who feel increasingly socially excluded and marginalized. Consequently, European police organizations lag behind in advancing the diversity of their workforce and identifying adequate responses to prevent radicalization. Instead, they continue to engage in harmful data collection and surveillance programs grounded in discriminatory national security policies.
Racial Profiling and Police Diversity Recruitment Efforts
The European ‘melting pot’ produces new obstacles for the police, particularly when it comes to counter-terrorism programs. European police organizations employ racial profiling to target individuals they believe to pose a threat to national security due to their possession of specific characteristics. These characteristics are then recorded, feeding into data collection strategies and mechanisms (including surveillance). As a result, European police organizations’ use of profiling results in the over-representation of ethnic and racial minorities in criminal justice systems around the globe. Racial profiling is creating false correlations and perpetuating false narratives. As a result, a growing number of cases involving discriminatory racial profiling have been brought before the European Court of Human Rights.
The use of stereotype-based policing compounds the prevailing and overarching perception of police organizations as biased, patriarchal and politically conservative institutions that perpetuate racist and sexist ideologies. And there is a degree of truth in this. Police organizations face real challenges in adequately providing a security service for diverse and multi-cultural European societies. Researchers argue that the disparity between the ethnic and racial make-up of the police and the communities they aim to protect contributes to and reinforces low levels of public trust. Consequently, despite increased recruitment efforts, ethnic and racial minorities remain less likely to apply to the police and continue to fear potential exclusion within the force. While it is not a cure-all solution, increasing the number of police officers from diverse backgrounds is among the most effective and research-supported strategies for increasing police legitimacy and cultural awareness and reducing biased policing.
Advancing Police Diversity in Europe
If police organizations are presumed to be a public good, then police organizations must serve—and be perceived by the public to serve— in the interest of all people. And there is a way forward.
Increasing the effectiveness of CVE programs, improving police-community relations and recruiting a diverse police force in Europe is a multi-pronged approach. As part of their overarching strategy, European police organizations should focus on the following four policies:
- Management and Leadership: Leadership that values and recognizes diversity as a means to improve policing strategies is crucial. Studies show that diversity improves where senior police chiefs draft and make publicly accessible a diversity vision statement and are evaluated on the progressive implementation of this vision.
- Organizational Development: Diversity awareness training should be integrated into police training programs at all levels. This is an important step, due to the changing social context. Ideas about policing and how police practices are expected to be delivered in a global society have evolved. Police organizations must identify those strategies that disproportionally target diverse communities and take meaningful actions to prevent adverse results.
- Attraction, Diversity and Inclusion:Targeted advertisement campaigns that speak to diverse candidates can increase the likelihood of underrepresented groups considering a policing career. Furthermore, fostering an institutional culture at all levels of police organizations that respects differences and is guided by inclusivity is imperative to maintain progress towards a more diverse police force.
- Monitoring and Evaluation: Diversity programs should be monitored and evaluated. Police organizations in the and in the Netherlands, for example, have partnered with research organizations to collect, analyze and evaluate diversity targets. Partnering with research centers can help to identify improvement areas and priorities quickly.
A bias-free police organization capable of building and leveraging diverse skillsets is necessary for effective 21st century policing in a global society: European police organizations can and should play a critical role in advancing inclusion. Police organizations can and should function as a bridge between community and state. Police organizations can and should serve as the gatekeeper for equality and social cohesion. Incorporating the above recommendations into overarching police strategies with ensure they do.
