Strengthening the Evidence Ecosystem: SEBP Welcomes AWPAC’s Reflections on Transformative Policing–Academic Collaboration in Wales

SEBP is pleased to highlight an important update from the All‑Wales Policing Academic Collaboration (AWPAC) - a partnership that exemplifies what can be achieved when policing and academia work side by side with a shared purpose.

In a recent reflection, Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Ross Evans, Co‑Chair of AWPAC, set out the scale of progress made across Wales and the growing impact of collaborative, practice‑focused research. His message is clear: Wales has built something genuinely pioneering, and its momentum must continue.

Where policing meets research: Transformative impact across Wales

By Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Ross Evans, Co-Chair of AWPAC

"As I prepare to step down from my role as co-chair of the All-Wales Policing Academic Collaboration (AWPAC), I’ve been reflecting on just how far we have come - and how vital it is that this work continues to grow. What began as a shared ambition to strengthen ties between policing and academia in Wales has evolved into the nation’s first collaboration of its kind: a nationally recognised model of evidence‑based partnership that is shaping practice, policy, and future research capacity across the country.

AWPAC’s core purpose has always been clear: to bring policing and academia together to advance evidence-based change and ultimately keep our communities safer. Brought together by the Wales Innovation Network (WIN), and supported by Policing in Wales, AWPAC has spent the past several years transforming that purpose into meaningful, tangible results.

AWPAC has funded fifteen research projects so far, each a collaboration between researchers and police officers, producing recommendations now being embedded into policing practice across Wales. These aren’t abstract academic exercises - they are shaping the way officers engage with communities, respond to harm, and address emerging challenges.

Some examples include:

• Understanding misogynistic behaviour and predicting domestic abuse risk

  A Bangor University project with North Wales Police and Dyfed-Powys Police is exploring how indicators of misogyny can help predict domestic abuse risk, with the aim of feeding these findings into training and operational practice.

  
  

• Strengthening specialist units tackling violence against women and girls

  Cardiff University researchers partnered with all Welsh police forces to evaluate violence against women and girls specialist units. This work has provided evidence to support future policing plans and improvements.

  
  

• Improving community engagement and training

  Findings from a Bangor University–led project, developed with North Wales Police and university partners, have been incorporated directly into North Wales Police’s communications strategy, strengthening how the force connects with the public.

  
  

• Boosting student volunteering

  A multi‑agency project involving South Wales Police, University of South Wales, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, and Cardiff Metropolitan University identified the barriers and enablers to volunteering within policing. The resulting recommendations are already informing new approaches to student engagement.

  
  

These projects demonstrate what is possible when police and academic partners work closely and openly together: research with immediate relevance, shaped by policing needs, to improve practice today while shaping the policing of tomorrow.

One of AWPAC’s greatest achievements is how it has built on existing local connections to establish networks that now operate at an all-Wales level. For the first time, policing research in Wales is connected, collaborative, and strategically aligned.

Through AWPAC, policing and academic colleagues have:

• formed national research networks that strengthen collaboration

• connected with major funders such as UKRI and NIHR, opening doors for wider research investment into Wales

• built links with UK and international networks including the College of Policing, the Welsh Centre for Crime and Social Justice, the N8 Policing Research Partnership, and violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence networks

• pursued global opportunities, such as work between three Welsh universities and the National Forensic Sciences University in India, supported through Global Wales

  
  

This connectivity is invaluable. It raises Wales’ profile, increases our influence, and ensures we are part of the conversation about the future of policing research.

A particular point of pride for the group has been AWPAC’s support for early career researchers and PhD students. Three AWPAC-funded projects were led by early career academics, helping build essential skills, confidence, and connections within the policing research community.

We have also supported wider academic projects not directly funded by AWPAC, such as facilitating connections for Project DRAGONS and DRAGONS+, which focus on countering online child sexual exploitation. This commitment continues with AWPAC now funding the development of a training resource to prevent online grooming.

This work lays the foundations for the next generation of Welsh policing research, built through genuine collaboration between universities, police forces and police and crime commissioners. By co‑designing research and sharing expertise, we ensure that innovation is driven jointly by academic insight and frontline experience.

As my tenure as co-chair comes to an end, one thing is abundantly clear: AWPAC’s work is vital and we must continue to build on the strong foundations that we’ve established.

The challenges facing policing are complex and evolving - from digital crime and technological change, to vulnerability and community cohesion. Using evidence to guide policing practice is now fundamental to effective policing.

AWPAC has proven what sustained collaboration can achieve. We have shown that well-designed research, rooted in real-world need, can transform practice, shape strategy, and improve outcomes for the public.

But there is more to do. More questions to answer. More innovation to unlock. More opportunities to connect Wales with national and international best practice.

That is why continued and expanded investment in AWPAC is so important. With the right support, this collaboration can reach even further, bringing greater insight, stronger partnerships, and deeper impact for policing across Wales.

AWPAC is a powerful example of what happens when policing and academia join forces with a shared purpose. I look forward to seeing this collaboration continue to grow, evolve, and make Wales a leading voice in evidence-based policing.

To all our academic partners, police colleagues, funders, and supporters of AWPAC: thank you."