Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Gender Studies and Sexuality
Year: 2024
DOI:
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Police Liaison Officers and Vulnerable Communities: A Comparative Discussion of Programs With LGBTIQ+ People and Sex Workers
Dr Angela Dwyer, Larissa Sandy
ABSTRACT:
For some time now, police liaison officers have been positioned as an important form of service enhancement focused on building stronger, more supportive relationships between marginalised communities and police. These programs appear to dominate police service enhancement approaches as the preferred way to improve relations with communities that have had, and arguably continue to have, problematic interactions with police (such as LGBTIQ+ communities). Interestingly, while this model dominates, there is limited research on whether these forms of police service enhancement do in fact enhance the service these communities receive from police. This paper overviews the results of research projects conducted by the authors that focused on police liaison officers involved with the support of LGBTIQ+ people and sex workers. It compares the facilitators and barriers of using these approaches with these communities and makes future-focused recommendations.
keywords: Police liaison officers, LGBTIQ+, sex workers, vulnerable