Playgrounds and coffee breaks: the secret to effective border control
Researchers studying Swedish and Norwegian border police found that informal social networks—not technology or rules—drive effective enforcement. The finding challenges how governments invest in border security, suggesting casual workplace relationships and knowledge-sharing among officers matter more than officials typically assume.
Originaltitel: Enabling border policing through socialisation at the playground
The policing of borders has long been a subject of considerable scholarly attention. Yet, there remains a notable gap in research addressing the lived experiences and situated practices of those tasked with performing such forms of policing. Drawing on interviews and observations we discuss the practices of Norwegian and Swedish police officers and customs officials operating within the control zones and borderlands along the Swedish – Norwegian frontier. Our study contributes to the literature by zooming in on the social relationships that border workers form and sustain to carry out their tasks effectively – work that unfolds within a demanding natural environment and within relatively resource-constrained organisations. For the police officers it was crucial to establish informal social networks for exchanging information and generating knowledge. While some officers spoke fondly of the informal social networks and the ‘playful’ meetings, others called for stronger coordination, oversight, and steering from higher levels of the organisation. Our findings suggest that strengthening border control is not merely a question of new technologies or regulatory harmonisation. Rather, effective border policing in this Nordic context depends on sustaining the social and organisational infrastructures that allow knowledge to circulate across institutional and national boundaries. Recognising the interplay between formal and informal modes of collaboration across borders and organisational boundaries may thus be key to understanding how borders are actually governed and how state authority is enacted in everyday life.