POLICING, CULTURE AND COMMUNITY: WEST MIDLANDS POLICE AS CITY OF CULTURE PARTNERS

A webinar exploring the ways arts and culture can shift perceptions of policing

The benefits of arts and culture in social, civic, health, and economic terms are widely researched, but until now, police forces have seldom engaged with creative endeavours in a sustained and systematic way. In 2019, however, West Midlands Police (WMP) embarked on a unique partnership with the Coventry City of Culture Trust (the Trust) in the delivery of Coventry UK City of Culture 2021. This partnership sought to enable officers to engage with arts and culture as a means of building positive community relationships, particularly amongst more vulnerable and seldom heard communities.

In this webinar, we will explore the findings from our research into this partnership, and into the broader potential for police partnerships with artists and creative practitioners outside and beyond the City of Culture. We situate our analysis within the context of a widespread crisis in police legitimacy, considering the ways in which arts-based interventions can offer a democratising space in which mutual perceptions can begin to shift; and exploring the complexities and challenges of these endeavours.

This event is led by Professor Jacqueline Hodgson and Dr Rachel Lewis
Centre for Operational Police Research and School of Law, University of Warwick