Lali Magsi is a Lecturer in Criminology and Policing at Birmingham City University. He was previously a Police Officer for West Midlands Police and holds an LLB from the University of Birmingham and an MSt in Criminology from the University of Cambridge. Lali’s research explores police misconduct including internal sexual harassment within policing and the Blue Code of Silence.
Presentation
Internal sexual harassment among police personnel: Insights from a Birmingham, UK cross-sectional survey
Mr Lali Magsi1, Professor Barak Ariel2,3
1Birmingham City University, Birmingham, United Kingdom, 2Institute of Criminology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem , Jerusalem, Israel, 3Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Our research explores internal sexual harassment amongst police officers, community officers, special constables and police staff in West Midlands Police’s Birmingham Local Policing Area. We report on a pervasive, damaging, and underreported phenomenon.
Our findings show that internal sexual harassment affects one in every five employees, with 8.3% of males and 43% of females victimized, particularly in small police units. More than two-thirds of officers who experience physical sexual harassment and half who experience non-physical sexual harassment are serial victims (three or more incidents), indicating that some staff members are routinely targeted by their peers, especially female officers.
Victims reported long-term adverse effects, including stress, anxiety, isolation, and anger, and a quarter considered leaving the organisation. One in ten witness internal sexual harassment; however, bystanders refrain from reporting incidents due to the perception that such conduct constitutes banter or the desire to protect the harasser’s reputation.
Our research highlights significant policy implications on internal sexual harassment in policing including enhanced training, restorative justice conferencing for low level incidents, and confidential complaints channels.