See it. Say it. Sorted: Emotional labour within British Transport Police operations at Edinburgh Waverley Railway Station

Abstract

This thesis demonstrates that emotional labour in hybrid policing environments functions as a distinct policing technology of control, shaping public interactions, fostering subjective security, and addressing stakeholder demands. Emotional labour is not merely a byproduct of policing but a critical operational mechanism that officers strategically deploy in hybrid security environments. This study also reveals distinct archetypes and strategies which constables utilise to navigate the emotional labour demands they experience within their role where they need to balance professional obligation, personal well-being and the collective occupational culture in which they operate as a British Transport Police (BTP) constable. Additionally, this thesis explores the intersection of emotional labour and dirty work within the context of a hybrid policing environment, namely Edinburgh’s Waverley railway station in Scotland. It focuses on the operations of the BTP within this space and how it has become a very particular form of public/private policing hybrid, its officers' working lives characterised by competing demands of emotional labour and operational effectiveness and the careful management of occupational identities and mental health and safety.

By situating emotional labour within contemporary policing technologies, I offer a significant theoretical contribution, demonstrating emotional labour’s role in fostering subjective security and bridging the gap between public and private interests in hybrid governance structures. The findings challenge traditional, force-based policing paradigms and advocate for the formal integration of emotional labour into policing frameworks within modern law enforcement. I argue that the hybridity the BTP experiences exacerbates emotional labour demands and requirements experienced within hybridised environments. This exacerbation prompts the adoption of heightened customer service expectations amongst BTP constables and results in the prioritisation of the maintenance of calm within their jurisdiction and the adoption of softer policing approaches as an informal standard operating procedure.