“Just Being Mean to Somebody Isn’t a Police Matter”: Police Perspectives on Policing Cyberbullying

Abstract

Increasing public awareness of cyberbullying, coupled with several highly publicized youth suicides linked to electronic bullying, have led lawmakers and politicians to consider new criminal legislation specifically related to cyberbullying. However, little is known about how the police currently respond to cyberbullying, and it is not clear whether new laws are necessary. In this article, the authors draw upon in-depth interviews with Canadian street patrol officers and school resource officers to explore police perspectives on policing cyberbullying. In contrast to the reactive hard-line approach proposed in much legislation and public discussion, police officers prefer to take a preventative approach by educating youth and raising awareness about the dangers of digital communications. Although there are instances when criminal charges must be laid, these incidents transcend “bullying,” a term that has little legal meaning for police officers.

KEYWORDS:

• cyberbullying
• policing
• cybercrime
• youth crime

Additional information

Funding

The Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada supported this project under award 752-2012-2450.