Oh, Canada: One Officer's Transatlantic Journey to Bang the EBP Drum

It’s 30 years since I’ve been to Canada, and that was off the back of winning a national ‘Young Enterprise’ competition linked to my Business Studies A level….feels like a long time ago!

As I board the flight from Heathrow, excited by the prospect of representing UK SEBP at the second National Canadian SEBP conference, I wonder what is in store for me. I’ve had briefings from Chief Rich Johnston (Barrie Police) around what to deliver and as I’m sat on the flight out, I mull over in my mind if my presentation will hit the mark.

I never sleep when I travel, and after getting up for the 74^th time to allow the person sat next to me to move out of their seat, I flick through my notes and hope the presentation and panel appearances will be what our friends in Canada are looking for.

I arrive at Toronto airport and its 27 degrees….I’m sweltering already. If anything I had been expecting snow….I somehow successfully navigate the 2 hour drive to Blue Mountain, Ontario (who knew when the traffic light is red in Canada you can still turn right if you stop first?), only annoying 3 or 4 Canadian truckers on the way with my strict adherence to the speed limits.

As I arrive at Blue Mountain, I can immediately tell this is going to be a slick, well managed and beautifully presented event. Blue Mountain is a ski resort in Ontario, and as you might expect is a beautiful location. On the first morning of the conference I am greeted by Chief Rich Johnston who couldn’t be more welcoming. The first day is full of plenary’s, with different panels (understandably I’m on the international one) with much time invested with people concerned with the governance and structure of Canadian Policing. This is an intelligent move, as it is critical these key stakeholders understand, and support, everything we are collectively trying to achieve in the EBP world. Day 1 provides some great insights, with highlights including international, national and provincial perspectives on EBP through a Canadian lens; Dr Rylan Simpson talking through the mechanics of EBP; and Supt Mark Langhorn of Victoria Police in Australia working through his study on how to create a learning organisation.

As Day 1 of the conference draws to a close, I’m hugely impressed by the venue, the myriad of sponsors, and the enthusiasm and integrity of everyone present that I speak to. It's clear to me that there is a lot of exciting evidence based progress being made in Canada.

Day 2 of the conference begins with a keynote presentation from Dr Tamara Herold of the University of Nevada, giving some interesting examples of things like burglary reduction and implementation science. After some insightful presentations from colleagues in the Netherlands Police lunch is presented which again is excellent – good food always makes a difference! After lunch I’m on stage again as a panel member, discussing things as diverse as the impact of politics on EBP and the latest developments across the globe in EBP.

The afternoon covers a wide range of subjects – hotspots, attrition forecasting and enhancing police legitimacy to name but a few. We then have a presentation from the 30 forward movement and hear about the fantastic progress the group is making supporting women in policing in North America. We then see some emotional scenes as there is a ceremonial signing of a pledge by numerous Police Chiefs from across Canada, and lifetime achievement awards presented to 3 female Canadian Police Officers (retired). We leave the emotional hall, and the day has the real feeling of a hugely successful collaboration event.

Day 3 begins with my key note speech. I cover a variety of elements in my 45 minute slot, including – the history of EBP, with a nod to the ‘Godfather’ of EBP Prof Larry Sherman; a review of some of the points Prof Sherman made in his seminal ‘Triple T’ paper in 2013; what EBP strategies might look like in a policing organisation; a quick run through of a variety of studies; and some thoughts on what the future of EBP might look like. No heckling from the audience, I even managed to get an Ashes dig into a couple of Australian colleagues (the cricket is going to be interesting this winter) – so I think it went okay!

We squeezed in a meeting of the International SEBPs (UK, Canada, Australia and USA) to give some thought to a potential global conference which could be on the horizon….watch this space! Due to my flight times, I then had to leave, missing out on presentations which included the targeting of violent crime, enhancing diversity in police recruitment and Supt Dave Cowan’s keynote speech from Victoria Police, Australia.

As I type this up, sat at Toronto International Airport, I am left with a hugely positive feeling regarding EBP in Canada, but also, the spirit of collaboration with SEBP’s across the globe. Canada delivered an incredible conference, with lots of sponsors, a fantastic venue and 350 attendees! I was witness to so much passion, energy and drive, I cannot help but think that Canada will drive evidence-based progress in policing for years to come.

It’s also reinforced my belief that EBP is a force for good; evidence informed approaches lead to increased public confidence, enhanced police legitimacy and better public value. This leads to better service delivery for our local communities and victims of crime, which is something we are all striving to achieve.

Great job Canada and thanks for inviting me!