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

BLACK, Alexandra, LUMSDEN, Karen and HADLINGTON, Lee (2019). 'Why Don't You Block Them?' Police Officers' Constructions of the Ideal Victim When Responding to Reports of Interpersonal Cybercrime. In: LUMSDEN, Karen and HARMER, Emily, (eds.) Online Othering. Palgrave Studies in Cybercrime and Cybersecurity . Springer International Publishing, 355-378.

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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.

Item Type:	Book Section
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12633-9_15
Page Range:	355-378
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Elements
Depositing User:	Symplectic Elements
Date Deposited:	07 Jun 2021 14:50
Last Modified:	07 Jun 2021 15:00
URI:	https://shura.shu.ac.uk/id/eprint/27803

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