Symbolic drugs policing: Conceptual development and harm reduction opportunities

This chapter considers the nature and consequences of symbolic forms of drugs policing. Building on the framework originally presented in Coomber et al. (2019), it starts by discussing further concepts that can advance theoretical perspectives on symbolic policing, including Goffman’s (1959) concept of ‘performances’, Manning’s (1997) dramaturgical analysis of policing, and Loader’s (1997) work on ‘symbolic power’. The chapter then draws on various empirical studies to illustrate how symbolic drugs policing operates in practice, from the perspectives of police officers and affected drug market actors. Attention is given to how specific drugs policing activities such as crackdown operations, the execution of drug warrants, responding to new threats, and attempting to safeguard ‘vulnerable’ populations can be considered symbolic both in terms of how they are performed and their outcomes. Recognising that symbolism is inescapable in how drugs policing is undertaken and represented, the chapter concludes by putting forward recommendations for how the communications and signals sent out may be reconfigured to help promote practices that align with harm reduction principles.