Rural Policing

About the project

This study maps police staffing in Iceland since 2007 from a European comparative perspective and analyses the main challenges and practices of rural police officers using secondary data and interviews with 23 police officers who have worked in rural areas. Iceland had 648 working police officers in 2017, a 9% reduction since 2007. Iceland’s population increased by 10% during this time period. In 2018, Iceland had among the fewest police officers (185) per 100.000 inhabitants in Europe and experienced Europe’s most significant reduction in the number of police officers from 2009-2018 (29.1%). Concurrently, the number of tourists grew almost fivefold. Population growth, a tourism boom, and declining police staffing have negatively affected policing, particularly rural policing. The interviews show that the main challenges rural police officers experience are understaffing, overwork, an extensive range of tasks with little backup, and a blurring of work and home. To meet these challenges, officers must develop a broad skill set and be innovative in activating the community’s social capital. Most importantly, officers must develop excellent communication skills centred on dialogue, de-escalation, and soft policing to maintain trust and consensus. Community social capital, rooted in high-trust, cooperation, and informal social control, helps rural police officers in this regard.

Members

  • Guðmundur Oddsson, professor of sociology at the University of Akureyri
  • Andrew Pau Hill, assistant professor of police science at the University of Akureyri
  • Þóroddur Bjarnason, professor of sociology at the University of Iceland and research professor at the University of Akureyri

Collaborators

Publications

Press/Media