'Why Don't You Block Them?': Police Officers' Constructions of the Ideal Victim When Responding to Reports of Interpersonal Cybercrime

Alex Black; Karen Lumsden; Lee Hadlington

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-12633-9_15

'Why Don't You Block Them?': Police Officers' Constructions of the Ideal Victim When Responding to Reports of Interpersonal Cybercrime

Alex Black^* (Corresponding Author)
, Karen Lumsden
, Lee Hadlington

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review

4 Citations (Web of Science)

Abstract

This chapter explores police officers’ responses to reports of interpersonal cybercrime by considering their construction of the ‘ideal victim’. It contributes to knowledge on police officers’ perceptions of cybercrime and their support for victims. The discussion draws on Nils Christie’s (1986) concept of the ‘ideal victim’ to explore which individuals police officers most readily give the legitimate status of victim to. Three themes are discussed including: police officers’ constructions of the ‘ideal victim’; their attitudes towards victims in relation to prevention of cybercrime (i.e. ‘block them’) and; negotiations over responsibility for dealing with the emerging issue of cybercrime. The chapter argues that police forces must advance beyond an approach which entails victim-blaming and instead recognise the centrality of social media and online spaces in individuals’ lives.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Online Othering
Subtitle of host publication	Exploring Digital Violence and Discrimination on the Web
Editors	Karen Lumsden, Emily Harmer
Place of Publication	Basingstoke
Publisher	Palgrave
Pages	355-378
Number of pages	24
Edition	1
ISBN (Electronic)	978-3-030-12633-9
ISBN (Print)	978-3-030-12632-2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12633-9_15
Publication status	Published - 6 May 2019
Externally published	Yes
Event	Symposium on Online Othering - Leicestershire Duration: 21 Apr 2017 → 21 Apr 2017

Publication series

Name	Palgrave Studies in Cybercrime and Cybersecurity
Publisher	PALGRAVE

Conference

Conference	Symposium on Online Othering
City	Leicestershire
Period	21/04/17 → 21/04/17

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Keywords

cybercrime
internet
online abuse
policing
social media
victim

Access to Document

10.1007/978-3-030-12633-9_15Licence: Unspecified

Cite this

Black, A., Lumsden, K., & Hadlington, L. (2019). 'Why Don't You Block Them?': Police Officers' Constructions of the Ideal Victim When Responding to Reports of Interpersonal Cybercrime. In K. Lumsden, & E. Harmer (Eds.), Online Othering: Exploring Digital Violence and Discrimination on the Web (1 ed., pp. 355-378). (Palgrave Studies in Cybercrime and Cybersecurity). Palgrave . https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12633-9_15

'Why Don't You Block Them?': Police Officers' Constructions of the Ideal Victim When Responding to Reports of Interpersonal Cybercrime. / Black, Alex (Corresponding Author); Lumsden, Karen; Hadlington, Lee.
Online Othering: Exploring Digital Violence and Discrimination on the Web. ed. / Karen Lumsden; Emily Harmer. 1. ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave , 2019. p. 355-378 (Palgrave Studies in Cybercrime and Cybersecurity).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review

Black, A, Lumsden, K & Hadlington, L 2019, 'Why Don't You Block Them?': Police Officers' Constructions of the Ideal Victim When Responding to Reports of Interpersonal Cybercrime. in K Lumsden & E Harmer (eds), Online Othering: Exploring Digital Violence and Discrimination on the Web. 1 edn, Palgrave Studies in Cybercrime and Cybersecurity, Palgrave , Basingstoke, pp. 355-378, Symposium on Online Othering, Leicestershire, 21/04/17. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12633-9_15

Black A, Lumsden K, Hadlington L. 'Why Don't You Block Them?': Police Officers' Constructions of the Ideal Victim When Responding to Reports of Interpersonal Cybercrime. In Lumsden K, Harmer E, editors, Online Othering: Exploring Digital Violence and Discrimination on the Web. 1 ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave . 2019. p. 355-378. (Palgrave Studies in Cybercrime and Cybersecurity). Epub 2019 Apr 23. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-12633-9_15

Black, Alex ; Lumsden, Karen ; Hadlington, Lee. / 'Why Don't You Block Them?' : Police Officers' Constructions of the Ideal Victim When Responding to Reports of Interpersonal Cybercrime. Online Othering: Exploring Digital Violence and Discrimination on the Web. editor / Karen Lumsden ; Emily Harmer. 1. ed. Basingstoke : Palgrave , 2019. pp. 355-378 (Palgrave Studies in Cybercrime and Cybersecurity).

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AB - This chapter explores police officers’ responses to reports of interpersonal cybercrime by considering their construction of the ‘ideal victim’. It contributes to knowledge on police officers’ perceptions of cybercrime and their support for victims. The discussion draws on Nils Christie’s (1986) concept of the ‘ideal victim’ to explore which individuals police officers most readily give the legitimate status of victim to. Three themes are discussed including: police officers’ constructions of the ‘ideal victim’; their attitudes towards victims in relation to prevention of cybercrime (i.e. ‘block them’) and; negotiations over responsibility for dealing with the emerging issue of cybercrime. The chapter argues that police forces must advance beyond an approach which entails victim-blaming and instead recognise the centrality of social media and online spaces in individuals’ lives.

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'Why Don't You Block Them?': Police Officers' Constructions of the Ideal Victim When Responding to Reports of Interpersonal Cybercrime

Abstract

Publication series

Conference

UN SDGs

Keywords

Access to Document

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