| dc.description.abstract | Voluntary policing represents unexplored territory within the field of civil
policing, which as a whole is relatively underresearched. Missing People Sweden (MPS) is a
voluntary policing organisation that was founded in 2012, and has since expanded greatly. This
study explores meaning-making activities within that organisation, with an aim to contribute to the
theoretical understanding of civil policing organisations, while also presenting the reader with a
detailed case description of what participation in the organisation's activities means to its members.
Lastly, the study aims to lay a foundation on which an improved cooperation between MPS and the
police can be built.
Bricolage, Mythologies, Logic of appropriateness, Gemeinschaft,
Gesellschaft, Voluntary policing
A total of eight semi-structured interviews were completed during March, 2014.
The interviews were conducted with people that had participated in the organisation's activities in
various capacities, and included novice volunteers as well as veteran members. A further four
participant observations of organisational activities were made. Two recruitment events, one board
meeting, and one search and rescue operation were observed. A total of 18 documents were
collected from the organisation and subjected to textual analysis. Lastly, a heterogenous material
was collected from media sources to build a background for the study, and to generate questions
that could be discussed in the interviews.
Results: The results expand on Yarwood's (2011) previous findings of different organisational
forms coexisting within one voluntary policing organisation, through demonstrating how the
organisation MPS at once could be understood as a Tönnesian Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft. A
few guidelines for an efficient cooperation between the police and similar voluntary policing
organisations are also suggested. | sv |
