Policing Research in Scotland: Current Research and Opportunities for Practitioners

NEW PROGRAMME LAUNCHED, 1/11/11. Improving Police Action through Knowledge Transfer (IMPAKT) Programme

SIPR has a commitment to maximise the impact on policy and practice of the outcomes of policing research. The purpose of the IMPAKT Programme is to provide support to researchers in Scottish HEIs to undertake knowledge transfer/exchange and impact generating activities in partnership with the Scottish police service. The knowledge exchange activity must be focused on promoting the application of policing research to address one or more of the priorities outlined in the Scottish Policing Assessment and should help to facilitate the co-production and application of knowledge.

This Programme is not designed to fund new research but is for new knowledge exchange and impact generating activity

further details...

There are a number of different ways in which SIPR can help those wanting to do research on policing in Scotland:

It can provide information on recent and on-going research on policing in Scotland and help identify researchers with expertise in particular topic areas;
It can help facilitate access to relevant police personnel and police data;
- Grampian Police recognises there are clear benefits for the release of police data and access to police resources for research purposes, and are committed to encouraging and assisting good quality, relevant research. Please see further details on their new procedure.
It can provide resources for a range of different types of research, from MSc Dissertations and PhD Studentships, to shorter Practitioner Fellowships aimed at police staff and others working in the policing field who wish to spend time at a university undertaking a piece of supervised research;
By being the national focus for policing research Scotland, SIPR can help develop collaborative research networks nationally and internationally.

PhD Studentships across Scotland

In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of PhD projects relevant to policing, with approximately 40 projects being undertaken at the SIPR Consortium of universities, of which nine projects are directly funded by SIPR. A list of both SIPR- and externally-funded projects is included in the SIPR PhD Studentships section.

SIPR Small Research Grant Competition 2010

SIPR is delighted to announce the winners of its second competition for small research grants

Dr Lesley McMillan & Dr Annette Robertson, Glasgow Caledonian University: Evaluation of a Dispersal Zone in the East End of Glasgow (£3,000) Further details...
Dr Alistair Henry, University of Edinburgh; Dr Simon Mackenzie, University of Glasgow; CI Tony Beveridge, Lothian & Borders Police: Community Policing and the development of Safer Neighbourhood Teams in Lothian and Borders (£3,000) Further details...
Karen Kerr and Alanna de Korompay - Forensic Scientists (Toxicology), SPSA: Validation of a method for the detection of Mephedrone (£3,000) Further details...
Dr David La Rooy and Fiona Gabbert, University of Abertay Dundee: Assessing the quality of interviews with children alleging sexual abuse in Scotland (£3,000) Further details...
Professor Peter D. Donnelly, University of St Andrews: A public health approach to the evaluation of the Glasgow Community Initiative to Reduce Violence (£2,743) Further details...
Dr Penny Woolnough, Senior Research Officer, Grampian Police: Tell us what happened? An analysis of Grampian Police missing person 'closure-interview' forms (£3,000) Further details...

The winners of the previous Small Research Grant Competition held in 2009 were:

Peter Wilson, Chair, SIPR Advisory Committee: To promote the European/International opportunities for SIPR through the exploration, documentation, and development of an international police research network. (£3,000)
CS Angela Wilson & Janette McCrae, Scottish Police College: Scottish Police Leadership Development. Funds required for on-line questionnaires and feedback workshops. (£3,000)
Hayley Kelly, Grampian Police Research Unit: The development of a targeted Education and/or Enforcement scheme aimed at reducing the number of 16-25 year olds involved in Road Traffic Collisions. Funding for KT activites. (£2,000)
David Alexander, Robert Gordon University: Hostage and Crisis Incidents: an Evidence-based Analysis to Inform Police Negotiator Training Provision. Funds requested for employment of a Research Fellow. (£3,000) Research Report...
Martin Elvins, University of Dundee: An examination of the street drug market in Dundee and the impact of the national police "Street Level Up Approach (SLUA)". Funds required for visit to SLUA sites. (£2,700)

If you have a Research Proposal...

So that SIPR can respond to enquiries and provide guidance in developing a research proposal, in the first instance you should complete the Research Proposal Template [Word document] or [pdf document], and return this to the Director of SIPR. The proposal will be assessed as shown in the flowchart.

Where the proposal is not considered relevant to SIPR, it may be referred to the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR), or another relevant body. The review panel will include representatives, as appropriate, from the SIPR Executive Committee and the Force Liaison Group.