Evidence Based Policing Knowledge-Oriented Approaches Adegbola Ojo 7-Sept-2016

Supporting the sector to meet the needs of 21st century policing Outline Evidence Based Policing – Trying to Make Sense of It From the 3 R’s to the 3 T’s Promoting Evidence Based Practice Summary and Conclusion Supporting the sector to meet the needs of 21st century policing

EBP – Trying to Make Sense of It

Consider This Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not to their own facts Objective knowledge is crucial to the success of liberal democracy No institution is more important to that success than the police But the competence of the police is constantly challenged by multiple opinions Need for constant enhancement of competence not merely with opinions, but primarily with facts derived from objective knowledge Supporting the sector to meet the needs of 21st century policing

Opinion-based decision making Facts-based decision making EBP is About Opinion-based decision making Facts-based decision making Using research to stimulate democratic policing Illuminating and adapting what works Understanding what doesn’t work and refining it where possible All about the cultivation and transfer of knowledge!* Supporting the sector to meet the needs of 21st century policing

Larry Sherman’s Perspective Evidence-based policing is a method of making decisions about “what works” in policing: which practices and strategies accomplish police missions most cost-effectively (Sherman, 2013) Breaking it down: What’s Sherman trying to say? EBP - using research to determine how to be: Efficient – Doing the right thing Effective – Doing the thing right Supporting the sector to meet the needs of 21st century policing

A Practical Definition The conscientious and judicious use of current, robust and defensible research findings in conjunction with policing expertise and civic values to guide decision-making Current, robust and defensible evidence could be drawn from combinations of: Empirical evidence from randomised controlled trials Evidence from other scientific methods such as descriptive and qualitative research Information from case reports, scientific principles, and expert judgement Supporting the sector to meet the needs of 21st century policing

From the 3 R’s to the 3 T’s

Traditional vs Knowledge-oriented Models 3 R’s Random Patrol Rapid Response Reactive Investigations 3 T’s Targeting Testing Tracking Supporting the sector to meet the needs of 21st century policing

Supporting the sector to meet the needs of 21st century policing Targeting Using knowledge-oriented approaches to determine where police resources should be focused Why is it important? One size does not fit all! Helps focus resources where they are needed most Avoids duplication of efforts Reduces waste Supporting the sector to meet the needs of 21st century policing

Supporting the sector to meet the needs of 21st century policing Testing Evaluating whether policing strategies work or not Why is it important? Helps us draw conclusions about 5 main aspects of interventions: Relevance Effectiveness Efficiency Impact Sustainability Supporting the sector to meet the needs of 21st century policing

Supporting the sector to meet the needs of 21st century policing Tracking Examining whether police staff work in accordance with good practice guidelines Why is it important? Helps us to: Learn from experiences to improve practices and activities in the future Have internal and external accountability of the resources used and the results obtained Take informed decisions on the future of an initiative Promote empowerment of beneficiaries of the initiative Supporting the sector to meet the needs of 21st century policing

Promoting Evidence Based Practice

Stages of Knowledge Transfer Knowledge creation and distillation Diffusion and dissemination End user adoption Supporting the sector to meet the needs of 21st century policing

Knowledge Creation & Distillation Participatory knowledge creation increases the likelihood that research evidence will find its way into practice Prob. definition Scoping Sampling Research Design Quantitative Qualitative Mixed-methods Analytics and Interpretation Reports Toolkits Products Packaging of Findings Supporting the sector to meet the needs of 21st century policing

Diffusion and Dissemination Partnering with opinion leaders and organisations to distribute knowledge and insight that can form the basis of action Academic institutions Independent research organisations Researchers Professional organisations Multidisciplinary knowledge transfer teams Knowledge Brokers Public organisations Private organisations Third sector Practitioners Supporting the sector to meet the needs of 21st century policing

Supporting the sector to meet the needs of 21st century policing End User Adoption Getting organisations, teams and individuals to consistently use evidence-based research findings in everyday practice Org. social syst. Struct. & values External policing environment Change Champion Niche area Feasibility Piloting Practical aspects Embedding innovation into org. processes Implementation Teams Supporting the sector to meet the needs of 21st century policing

Supporting the sector to meet the needs of 21st century policing Summary Diagnosis [Patterns and trends] Response [Reviews of published evidence] Implementation [Local evidence] Value Added [Actual vs. predicted] Evaluation [Is this the best we can do?] Revision [Start all over again] Supporting the sector to meet the needs of 21st century policing

Supporting the sector to meet the needs of 21st century policing Conclusion The science of translating research into practice within policing is fairly new There is some guidance of what implementation interventions to use in promoting public safety practices There is no magic bullet for translating what is known from research into practice To move evidence-based interventions into practice, several strategies may be required Finally, what works in one context of policing may or may not work in another setting, thereby suggesting that context variables matter in implementation Supporting the sector to meet the needs of 21st century policing

Thank You QUESTIONS?