"What do we do now?"How the Swedish police authority work with sexual offences among people with intellectual disabilities

Project description

Background National and international research shows that the prevalence of sexual vulnerability among people with intellectual disabilities (ID) is extensive. Despite this, there is a lack of research on how these cases should be handled when they are reported by the police. Among other things, there are no guidelines and code categorizations when registering. This leads to an invisibility of the scope. The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention highlights the importance of increased knowledge of the meaning of various disabilities, which can improve the response of the judiciary.

Purpose and questions

This project aims to investigate the police authority's experience of dealing with sexual offences among people with ID. The following questions are indicative:

1. How do the police handle reports regarding sexual offences where people with ID are involved?
2. What knowledge is there about ID and sexuality at the police department?
3. Can the police improve their work when reporting in these cases, and if so, how?

Method and partners

The qualitative research team will conduct between 10-15 qualitative research interviews with police officers in three different regions with police Districts West, Middle and South. The interview guide contains the following themes:

• Notification procedure.
• Knowledge of ID and sexuality.
• Interrogation regarding suspected sexual offences involving people with ID.

Interview data should be analyzed based on criminological as well as sexological theories. The relevance is high as the knowledge can be used in preventive and supportive work, both for the police authority that will handle the sexual crime reports and for young people with ID who are at risk of being exposed to sexual crimes.