Spotlight Strathclyde: police and media strategies

The last number of years has seen a growing importance placed on media relations by police forces throughout the UK. This has resulted in an increased concern with public relations practice and in particular that area focused on media relations. This study centres on Strathclyde Police, the largest force in Scotland and among the largest in the UK. Outside of the Metroplitan Police, Strathclyde, has been throughout the 1990s at the forefront in developing more pro‐active media relations strategies. This paper examines the development of the Spotlight Intiative which attempted to tackle low level, quality of life crime (in some quarters associated with the phrase “zero tolerance”). Central to Spotlight has been the development of a more systematic and structured approach to public relations focused on the role of the media, specifically local and Scottish national newspapers, in communicating with local communities. This research argues that the growing importance of media relations at the Strathclyde force has broader implications for police‐media relations throughout the UK.