University of Limerick uncovers hidden voices of marginalised communities on safety concerns

A UNIVERSITY of Limerick research report has revealed the views of marginalised members of Irish society relating to policing and community safety.

Led by researchers from UL’s School of Medicine, the research has provided new insights from the marginalised communities most impacted by policing and community safety, both within Ireland and globally.

The report, which is titled ‘Hidden Voices, Marginalised Community Perspectives on Policing and Community Safety,’ has identified the importance of community safety as a shared responsibility.

This recent work is part of a body of research led by UL over the last ten years. The combined research in this area has focused on how people from marginalised communities experience interactions with law enforcement, life in prison, and life afterwards.

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Some of the findings outlined in the report include:

Community safety is not solely the responsibility of the police but also relies on trust between communities and the police, social cohesion, connectedness and integration.

A multifaceted approach to tackling intergenerational poverty and exclusion, and strong interagency cooperation, was recommended in the report.

The report also highlighted issues around the multifaceted nature of policing, including mistrust, over-policing, and the negative impact on communities of not reporting crimes.

The need for new approaches to community policing and greater collaboration between Gardaí, health services and agencies at management level was also highlighted.

Issues of racism, stigmatisation, misinformation and social media and intergenerational poverty were all outlined in the report.

Despite members of marginalised communities being overrepresented in the Irish criminal justice system and more likely to be victims of crime than those from non-marginalised communities, little was known about the perspectives of people from those communities in the past.

The experiences of asylum seekers, refugees, immigrants, people from ethnic minorities, with disabilities, addiction issues, homelessness, autism, and mental health conditions were all analysed as part of the research. Members of the LGBTQ+, Traveller, and Roma communities were also consulted.

Professor Colum Dunne, Head of UL’s School of Medicine and Professor Gautam Gulati, Adjunct Clinical Professor in UL’s School of Medicine, led the research outlined in the report.

Professor Colum Dunne explained: “This work stems from a wish to gain insights into the experiences and perspectives of stakeholders regarding community safety and policing in their specific contexts.”

“Our ambition was to base this on real lived experience, and to avoid both assumption and speculation. As a result, the report is unique and will, we hope, help to guide decision-making and policy going forward,” added Professor Dunne.

UL researchers collaborated with academics across several Irish universities and various external stakeholders throughout the study. Stakeholders included An Garda Síochána, the Health Service Executive’s National Social Inclusion Office (NSIO), Pavee Point, Peter McVerry Trust, and the Irish Penal Reform Trust, among others.

Professor Gautam Gulati is grateful to all representative organisations involved and the people who shared their personal lived experiences with researchers.

“These insights will help us to understand policing and community safety in Ireland. We hope this research will meaningfully foster ongoing dialogue and inform Irish policing perspectives in the years to come,” said Professor Gautam Gulati.

Referring to the publication of the Hidden Voices report, Dr Andrew Lacey, Superintendent of Henry Street Garda Station, Limerick said: “Hidden Voices is an exemplary example of meaningful research which provides front-line practitioners with contextual learnings and perspectives.

“It is important to reflect on what we can do better. These partnerships, along with this meaningful research, aim to bring together the full range of stakeholders in each community and make hidden voices become heard voices.”  

“This publication will provide policymakers and practitioners with qualitative data that can be used to inform policy development, improve service provision and recognise that community safety is a shared responsibility in Ireland,” added Superintendent Lacey.

University of Limerick academics collaborated with several Irish universities on the research and funding was provided by Research Ireland and the Policing and Community Safety Authority.