Welcome to the Society of Evidence Based Policing’s new blog, produced in collaboration with the Police Foundation, the UK's policing think tank.
In our monthly blog and newsletter we shall guide you through the latest research, events and developments in evidence based policing from the UK and around the world, as well as raising the profile of older but no less important research that has not been properly recognised.
In the inaugural newsletter we examine research on single crewing, remote working and digital forensics, explore the latest developments from the College of Policing and The Mayor's Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC), and explore why people who are good at their jobs routinely get promoted into bigger jobs they’re bad at. We also bring you a round up of courses and events and the latest from the first ever Conference of the Global Collaboration of Evidence-Based Policing in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States taking place in October.
Why a newsletter?
In recent years there has been a growing understanding that policing decisions should be based on “what works”. Police officers want to know if our actions actually work to reduce crime, save resources and keep people safe, or conversely do more harm than good. Whereas before policing decisions might be based on hunches, theories or “the way we’ve always done it”, there is now a realisation that determining what works and why can be best done by gathering and examining evidence. Instead of relying on guesswork, the answers should come from an empirical analysis of the data in a manner that can link the cause to the effect, as well as rigorous qualitative research which actually gets to the heart of the issue.
Societies of Evidence Based Policing (SEBP) have formed across the world to advance the police profession through producing and implementing the best evidence in the field and communicating it to others in policing.
Over the past few decades, rapid technological growth has meant that crime is changing swiftly and criminals are no longer bound by national borders. More now than ever before, policing needs to be collaborative. While each place has its own particular problems, many of the issues we tackle are shared across force and national boundaries and many solutions can be found through seeing what learning can be gleaned in the rest of the world. Therefore, the Societies of Evidence Based Policing (SEBP) from Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Canada and the United States have come together to develop a joint global brand to catalyse international support for evidence based policing.
Why this newsletter?
By becoming a member of the SEBP you have shown you care passionately about doing the right thing based on the available evidence, and helping your colleagues do the same. We hope in our blog and newsletter to provide the content you need to make your lives as policing practitioners easier, richer and more connected to the rest of the world. Moreover we wish to celebrate your achievements and show when evidence-based intervention have brought about positive change. For that reason we would appreciate your submissions, as well as comments and clarifications, which can be sent to Ruth Halkon.
Happy reading and best of luck in your policing endeavours.
Ruth