“Racialized persons have a completely different experience”: the experiences of older adults with the Toronto Police Service

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to provide an in-depth examination of culturally and linguistically diverse older adults’ perceptions of and experiences with the Toronto Police Service to inform the development of a training curriculum for police officers working with older persons.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative descriptive study using virtual focus groups with 26 older adults from Toronto was conducted.

Findings

Three main themes emerged: understanding intersectionality; the impact of police officer attitudes and biases; and the need for age-friendly policing. Although many older adults rely on police services to keep them safe, there is dissatisfaction with some aspects of how police interact with older adults, particularly from minority groups.

Originality/value

Participants were older adults from culturally, ethnically and linguistically diverse backgrounds who are not usually included in studies on improving police services.

Citation

Kokorelias, K.M., Grosse, A., Dillion, D., Wyman, J., Nzepa, E.N., Bhardwaj, M., Austen, A. and Sinha, S.K. (2024), "“Racialized persons have a completely different experience”: the experiences of older adults with the Toronto Police Service", The Journal of Adult Protection, Vol. 26 No. 5, pp. 240-254. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAP-05-2024-0027