Policing in a small society : The 'closely-knit' and underresearched Faroe Islands

Sammanfattning: The Faroes are a rural, ’closely-knit’ (Nils Christie 1982), and unexplored society. Hardly anyone is a stranger. Neither are police officers and offenders. How does this affect policing? Based on 6 interviews with Faroese police officers and 3interviews with Faroese offenders, the ’living law’ (i.e., social norm) of Connection Seeking was identified. Analysis was done phenomenologically with thematic analysis and content analysis. The ’living law’ of Connection Seeking is a law that officers must heed to stay connected with society. This includes being friendly and behaving properly. To a high degree, Faroese officers succeed, sometimes at the expense of ‘law in books’ and ‘law in action’. Danish officers in the Faroes, however, fare worse. Findings suggest that Faroese officers show their Camaraderie and Appropriate Behaviour by being lenient, sympathetic, and trusting, among others, and that the ‘living law’ of Connection Seeking is a prevalent law in officers’ and offenders’ life-worlds.