Edinburgh Napier University

  Recent work on policing in rural communities has highlighted the importance of reflecting critically on the context and environment being policed. Research has pointed to the importance of police discretion, order maintenance and police-community relationships in rural policing. However, it is important to remember that rural communities are not monolithic and are impacted by external factors.

Policing in Scotland has undergone significant changes over the past ten years, with eight police forces being amalgamated in 2013 to form a single police force, Police Scotland. Furthermore, with large societal changes, including the COVID-19 pandemic, rural communities have also undergone significant transitions in the way that they interact with law enforcement. This has led to shifting priorities which has impacted on police, community and partnership relationships in rural communities. Not only has this led to a reorganisation of how policing is done in Scotland, but it has also impacted on the way rural communities are policed and the context of social control in these locations. Consideration of the critical and conceptual framing of rural policing is therefore important.

Drawing on lessons from the Scotland, this paper will utilise data from three funded projects examining different rural policing contexts. Applying theories of ‘abstract policing’ (Terpstra et al, 2019) and the ‘totality of rural space’ (Halfacree, 2006), this paper will explore lessons for rural policing in other locations. It will highlight the importance of understanding the community context, the impact of COVID-19 on the policing of rural communities and the importance of visible policing and communication for rural communities going forward.