Laura Briody ( Poster and Advertise your Research )
School of Social , Political and Global Studies
Poster
Policing and Vulnerability : who is vulnerable ?
What do the police do ? A key part of their role is protecting vulnerable people in our community .
But what does the word “ vulnerable ” mean ? The College of Policing defines a vulnerable person as “ if , as a result of their situation or circumstances , they are unable to take care of or protect themselves or others from harm or exploitation .”
What do you think of this definition ? The College of Policing have an image that shows how vulnerability is identified by the police . It includes the personal factors that we all have in some way : age , gender , ethnicity , sexual orientation , religion , disability , mental health and difference . But none of these factors alone makes someone vulnerable .
Surrounding the personal factors are the situational factors : such as difficult family or community circumstances ; lack of support or power ; poverty and isolation . The calculation of a person ’ s vulnerability to harm is : Personal Factors + Situational Factors = Harm / Risk of Harm
Do you ever feel vulnerable ? Is it owing to your personal factors or your situational factors – or both ?
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Who is vulnerable ?
The purpose of the exercise would be to challenge cultural assumptions about who we consider to be vulnerable , and why . I will begin by asking the audience to reflect on who they consider vulnerable : what images or words come to mind ? I will then display the College of Policing vulnerability infographic , and walk the audience through the personal traits ( age , disability , race , gender , sexuality , mental health ). I will use myself primarily as an example , and ask them to reflect on how each of them could be vulnerable . I will then walk the audience through the situational factors that can put an individual at risk of harm . It would actively demonstrate how each of us can be vulnerable , though the situational factors at play are key . It would serve as nice introduction to a complex concept that has become a highlighted priority within the police and wider public sector .
Postgraduate Conference 2021 Page 15