From "Someone Should Research That" to "Let's Make It Happen" - Turning evidence gaps into smarter policing decisions
- Ava Rolfe
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
One of the most common phrases heard in policing is, "There must be research on this somewhere." Closely followed by, "If there isn't, someone should look into it."
The reality is that both statements are often true.
Police officers and staff make thousands of decisions every day. Many are supported by well-established evidence. Others rely on professional judgement because the evidence simply doesn't exist, isn't easy to find, or hasn't yet reached the people who need it most.
Our project set out to explore a simple question:
What if there was one place where policing could search existing evidence, identify knowledge gaps, and submit ideas for future research?
The result was the concept of an Evidence-Based Policing Research Platform—or, as we came to call it, the Ideas Hopper.
Start with what we already know
One of the core principles of evidence-based policing is making the best use of existing research before creating something new, so we built ChatEBP - an AI-powered chatbot designed to make evidence-based policing quicker and easier to access. Instead of searching through lengthy reports or multiple documents, users can ask questions in plain language and receive clear, evidence-informed answers drawn from a trusted collection of research and guidance.
Because ChatEBP only uses carefully selected and approved sources, users can be confident that the information it provides is relevant, consistent, and linked back to the original evidence. This makes it easier to explore research, save time, and build confidence in using evidence to support day-to-day decisions. While ChatEBP has been developed for evidence-based policing, the same approach can be adapted for many other organisations and knowledge areas where trusted, well-managed information is important.
The ideas that we never write down
A key objective of the Ideas Hopper is to provide a structured way of capturing research questions and evidence gaps identified through policing practice.
Where a practitioner identifies an area that could benefit from further exploration, they can submit their idea through the platform. Rather than remaining an isolated suggestion, each submission enters a collaborative review process involving the Society of Evidence-Based Policing, The Open University, and CGI.
Drawing on their respective expertise, the three partners assess each submission, considering its relevance to current policing priorities, its feasibility, and its potential to contribute to the evidence base. Through this collaborative assessment process, selected research ideas are identified for further investigation. The Open University then leads the research, with the findings and outputs fed back into the platform, creating a continuous feedback loop that enables new evidence to inform policing practice and inspire further research. Practitioners have visibility of how their ideas are reviewed, developed, and progressed throughout their journey.
By bringing together operational insight, research expertise, and digital innovation, the Ideas Hopper provides a transparent and collaborative process for identifying, developing, and translating practitioner-led ideas into evidence-based policing research, ensuring that new knowledge is continually shared back with the policing community.
Bringing the idea to life
Rather than simply describing our concept, we wanted people to experience how it could work.
Working collaboratively across CGI, SEBP and The Open University, we designed an interactive prototype of the Ideas Hopper, allowing users to explore how they could search for evidence, submit research ideas and follow projects as they progressed through the research pipeline.
Alongside the prototype, we also created an animated walkthrough that tells the story from a user's perspective.
Following the journey of a practitioner, the animation demonstrates how someone can move from identifying an operational challenge to exploring existing evidence, submitting a new research idea and contributing to future policing knowledge.
The takeaway
Evidence-based policing is built on asking the right questions, sharing knowledge and continually improving practice. While not every operational challenge will have an immediate answer, every question has the potential to contribute to future learning.
The Ideas Hopper has been designed to support that journey by creating a collaborative space where practitioners can explore existing evidence, identify gaps and contribute ideas that may shape future research. Through the partnership between the Society of Evidence-Based Policing, The Open University and CGI, the ambition is to make it easier for good ideas to be captured, reviewed and, where appropriate, developed into evidence that benefits policing.
After all, today's unanswered question could become tomorrow's evidence.
Mia Tsigarides
CGI Partner