Evidence-based policing © College of Policing Limited 2013 Levin Wheller Principal Research Officer Knowledge, Research and Practice Unit

Core mission Protect the public interest Set and enhance first-class national standards of professionalism to ensure excellence in operational policing Identify evidence of what works in policing and share best practice Support the education and professional development of police officers and staff Enable and motivate staff and partners to work together to achieve a shared purpose “Protect the public and support the fight against crime by ensuring professionalism in policing” Objectives

“Regional networks will bring together higher & further education & policing professionals to expand the evidence base” College Strategic Intent, Sept 2013 “A fundamental element of our role as a professional body is to be a catalyst for the development & use of knowledge and research by and for those working in policing” College Strategic Intent, Sept 2013 “It is in the public interest to show that what the police are doing is working…” Home Secretary, Supts Conference, 11 Sept 2012 A golden opportunity…

‘Using the best available evidence to inform decisions about practices and policies’ What does Evidence Based Policing really mean? ASK TEST LEARN ADAPT Understand the problem, reflect on current practice, build hypotheses… Seek to answer the question through rigorous testing (e.g. experiments, trials, systematic reviews) Learn about ‘what works?’ (and doesn’t…) Adapt policy and practice to reflect findings ASK ‘WHY?’

Why does it matter? How do we know what activity is effective? What are the risks if we don’t have any robust evidence about what works? Some well-meaning interventions may have zero impact or worse – may cause harm The scared straight story…

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Scale of the challenge

What works centres…

Key levers for change Authorised Professional Practice Curriculum, learning and development Recruitment, selection & promotion Organisational development Evidence at right time in right place Online, , phone, peers POLKA, library, APP, MLE Embedding evidence into practice

Partnership work is critical The more they know about research the less they believe the police alone have enough information about crime and what to do about it AND The more they are exposed to research the more likely they are to be willing to do experiments SO Palmer (2011) Survey of inspectors and chief inspectors in Greater Manchester Police Lum et al (2012) Receptivity to research in Policing Surveys show officers rely on and prefer professional experience rather than research BUT When research is part of their professional experience - they will be much more likely to use it!

College support to forces Sharing knowledge EBP master classes Research Map and RCT register Evidence based champions Building capability Randomised trials Evidence Base Camp Evaluation surgeries Building partnerships Research Fairs Innovation Fund Regional networks

Policing as a role model for the future Perhaps the most exciting aspect … is the opportunity it creates to link research evidence directly to professional standards […] If it succeeds, the College of Policing will provide a powerful model that can be replicated in other areas of social practice.