Personal (Non-)Religiosity and Policing

ABSTRACT

In many professions, personal religiosity can have a direct bearing on day-to-day practice and the implementation of policy. This article reviews fieldwork data from interviews with members of the Metropolitan Police Service in London, UK, and identifies the role that personal religiosity, or negative attitudes towards religion, can play in attitudes, practice, and expectations. Reflecting on debates about the nature of religious identity, the authors argue that in an arena where religion is increasingly seen to influence policy and practice, the personal religious or non-religious identity of the individual should not be seen as ‘outside’ the area of work but may require careful negotiation and articulation to avoid normative constructions of religion being applied inappropriately to local communities.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors are indebted to the editor, Dr Elisabeth Arweck, and the anonymous referees of the Journal of Contemporary Religion for their helpful and insightful comments on an earlier draft of this article. The faults remaining are the authors’ own.

Notes

1. Studies of religion in specific public contexts are developing in other areas, for example, the study of 2011 by Paul Weller, Tristam Hooley, and Nicki Moore on religion and belief in higher education. Such studies indicate the increasing awareness about issues surrounding religion and belief in public life that is evident in both academic and policy contexts.

2. Doubtless the material raises many other related theoretical and methodological issues concerning the nature of religion and public life in the UK, but it is neither possible nor desirable to itemise here the many possible debates within which the material under consideration, and in the wider study, could be pertinent.

3. Interviewees are identified by a letter and number code. This is to assist the reader in noting where data are taken from multiple respondents or an individual.

4. This type of awareness and diversity training is now commonplace across most public and many private sector organisations. Not only is this related to discrimination legislation but also to issues of best practice and effectiveness in service delivery. The objectives, scope, effectiveness, and form of such training vary enormously and would be an interesting area of further study.

5. There is a wealth of material in the field of religious education, particularly about issues of interfaith dialogue and the significance of the teacher’s own religious identity. Given the limitations of space, this related field will not be discussed here, but it is important to note that insights from the realm of school education could be revealing for further discussions of adult skills training.