Shedding a Light on Blue: A Mixed Methods Study to Understand Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment in Swedish Police Work

Abstract Following the #MeToo movement and a Facebook campaign known as #Nödvärn (selfdefense), sexual and gender-based harassment in the context of Swedish police work has received increased attention. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of sexual and gender-based harassment, the common types of harassment, and the organizational factors that officers perceive to be enabling the occurrence of such harassment. The current study employed a mixed methods explanatory sequential design. The quantitative phase involved 151 police officers to assess the prevalence and the more common types of sexual and gender-based harassment. The qualitative study, with a focus group and 12 individual interviews with police officers, aimed to explain the quantitative findings and explore how officers perceived such harassment and the enabling organizational factors in police work. The results showed that female officers reported significantly higher gender-based harassment than male officers. However, there was no significant gender difference in sexual harassment, and male officers also reported a high occurrence of sexual harassment from their colleagues and supervisors, who were mainly men. Verbal sexual harassment was reported as the more common type of harassment. The findings showed a prevailing toxic jargon among officers in the police work environment. Moreover, they stated a degree of silence against such harassment that makes identifying and addressing the problem complicated. Furthermore, there is a lack of skills and competence among police managers regarding handling such harassment. The findings underscore the need for ongoing organizational efforts to tackle cultural and managerial issues within the police organization.