Twitter Feed

Good practice based in good evidence needs good implementation

duck

Written by Professor Betsy Stanko*, Head, Evidence and Insight, Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, London

Successful implementation of new ideas and of using evidence-based findings often confront ‘traditional’ approaches to the ‘way we do things around here’.  We don’t often take the time to consider implementation, and I have learned after a decade working inside the London Metropolitan Police Service that this indeed takes time, craft and skill.  Training tomorrow’s police officers to understand research or even find the space to read about new research findings will be more easily accomplished in an organization that embraces innovation in technology, open collaboration with partners and opportunities to consider strategic change juggling the pressures of performance, citizen expectations and politics.

Evidence based policing is defined as ‘using research and scientific processes to inform police decisions’ (see the work of Cynthia Lum, Christopher Koper, and Cody Telep in this area).  There is a lively conversation in academic circles about the disconnect between what is known from research about what ‘works better’ when applied to policing, and the lamentable state of its limited use in the situations where police make decisions and plan action to tackle crime, to protect victims and to prevent offending.

These days there is a genuine change afoot. There is a growing conversation in the profession and the academy about better knowledge to improve the craft and science of policing. The discussion comes with the arrival of greater democratic transparency. The evidence shows that when those with policing authority act with fairness and respect in the line of duty, the public feel more confident in policing as consequence.  How best to translate this knowledge into better supervision, policy and training though is still in its infancy.  We have a robust academic understanding of public confidence, but where is the roadmap to embed this finding into better practice?

There is an expectation that the police as a professional service acts in alignment with best practice and best outcomes. There are mechanisms to bring transgressions and failures of professionalism to the scrutiny of the public.  All of these changes need better science and information to reform the business of policing.  Because so much of the day job is managed ‘in house’ it is difficult for academics to understand why the police can’t just take findings and ‘do it’.  What ‘it’ is is rarely unpicked as a problem not just of ‘not knowing’.  It is also a problem of unpicking the rapid demands of the job and the antiquated way of doing things so that there is time to reengineer how to do ‘it’ differently.

I described this process recently as swimming upstream while creating a wake.  I have learned that there are many fewer swimmers than knowledge providers.  We need more people able to be sophisticated about translating findings into a way of moulding transformation within the traditionally (and historically) closed police world.

There is still lots of skepticism about embracing ‘evidence’ generated from non-uniformed sources, because this implies a risk of getting it wrong or even trusting a source of knowledge that does not arise from the grounded experience of policing itself. We need to consider carefully the relationship between evidence-based best practices, individual innovation and police improvement. Some of these come from better technology; some from insight generated from analytics harnessing better technology.  Better kit will not ever completely substitute for better insight into how to apply best knowledge.

Policing as a traditional craft prides itself on its knowledge, and its standards of practice often flow from its craft. Yet few of these standards of practice have been tested or are based on scientific study.  That is not to say that what police currently do is wrong, but it is important now that we can test craft wisdom to do so. To change practice and behaviour we must understand it. After over a decade working inside a police service, we need more people – uniformed and non uniformed –  to encourage those inside policing to learn to jump traditional obstacles, to bear the pressure to buck a risk adverse and resistant culture and to take individual responsibility to help steer a better course for better policing.

Lum, C., Koper, C., and Telep, C. (n.d.). Evidence-based policing matrix. Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy, George Mason University, Washington US. Available at: http://cebcp.org/evidence-based-policing/the-matrix/

https://www.sipr.ac.uk/people/people-detail.php?ID=187

Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License

Social Share:

Other Latest News

Seldom Heard Voices: Community Impact Event 

01/05/2023

In 2021, SIPR, Police Scotland and Scottish Police Authority funded 5 grants to support research into ‘Seldom Heard’ communities. On Wednesday 26th April, we hosted a collaborative event to present the final research projects to an audience of academics, community members, NGO members, and Police Scotland staff and serving officers. First up, Kirsty Forrester from Dundee City Council and Dr Jonathan Mendel from the University of Dundee discussed their collaborative research with BAME communities and serving officers, highlighting the need for trust. Second, Dr Andrew Williams from St. Andrews and Inspector Jason Peter from the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit presented their ‘Photovoice’ Project which aimed to encourage young people in areas of inequality to engage with their community by taking pictures. Third, Dr Julie Berg and Emily Mann from University of Glasgow and University of Edinburgh respectively presented their project’ Accounting for Complexities: an Intersectional Approach to Enhancing Police Practitioner Accountability, Legitimacy & Sustainable Reform’. Fourth, Professor James Moir and Dr Corinne Jola from Abertay University focus on the topic of empathy with LGBT youth who are care experienced or are from other disadvantaged background. Finally, Bryony Nisbet from Queen Margaret University presented her and Dr Nicole Vidal’s research into refugee and asylum-seeker experiences, trust and confidence with Police Scotland. Following the presentations, representatives from Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority were invited to reflect on the findings and recommendations, and to provide assurances of the SPA and Police Scotland’s ongoing commitment to the communities and the issues raised. Assistant Chief Constable Emma Bond, said: “This important research underlines our commitment to listening to all our communities so we can continually improve how we represent, reflect and serve them. “Providing every citizen with a just and effective police service is fundamental to policing legitimacy and to our ability to keep people safe. “A great strength of Police Scotland is that our officers and staff are drawn from different backgrounds and experiences. What unites us is our shared and non-negotiable set of values – integrity, fairness, respect and a commitment to upholding human rights. “I am grateful to everyone who contributed to this work and we are already considering the recommendations made so that we can continue to design our services to best meet the needs of our communities.” Tom Halpin from the Scottish Police Authority said “The Authority is committed to policing in the public interest, to do that we must understand public views, opinions, and concerns. The research published today will allow us to gain more insight into where to target our activity and attention to ensure we build the strongest relationships we can with all communities in Scotland.” SIPR Director Liz Aston underlined SIPR’s commitment stating that “SIPR will continue to support the dissemination of these important research findings in order to ensure that they impact policing policy and practice”. SIPR hopes to continue to support research into Seldom Heard Communities.

Announcement

28/04/2023

After seven years as a SIPR Associate Director, Professor Denise Martin has made the difficult decision to step down.

SIPR Associate Director

28/04/2023

Following Professor Denise Martin’s decision to step down from her role as SIPR Associate Director and lead of the Education and Leadership network, SIPR is now inviting applications from prospective candidates to take on this role.

SIPR Newsletter Sign Up

You will be added to our mailing list to keep you updated with future events and activities from the Scottish Institute for Policing Research

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. For further information please read our Privacy Policy.