Evidence Based Policing
UCLan Policing’s strategy is to provide Evidenced Based Policing Research by combining academic rigour with outcomes directly impacting real world policing within the UK and Internationally.
Overview
At the centre of UCLan Policing’s’ strategy is to become a leader in research, teaching and learning within the discipline of policing, and to develop a substantial base to inform practice in this field. Our strength lies in the multi-disciplinary approach to policing and investigative research enabling us to build extensive collaborative relationships with other universities, the police service, industry and private sector.
Research work currently encompasses a broad range of disciplines, crossing over with psychology, criminology, forensic science and sociology. At the root of all research is the key aim to provide outcomes that directly inform and improve policing practices. The distinctive make-up of the Policing team, including experienced academics, former senior police officers and currently serving seconded officers, provides the perfect combination to achieve this.
Our courses have won national awards for its Partnership work with various Constabularies, combining higher education with policing. In addition, are staff research projects have created tools which are currently being used across police forces within the UK and Internationally.
To find out more about research in Policing, contact:
Doctor Michelle McManus:
Tel: +44 (0)1772 894154 Email: mamcmanus@uclan.ac.uk
Impact
Members of staff within UCLan Policing are members of editorial boards and reviewers for international journals, key speakers at international conferences, and consult on high profile active investigations. Research outputs have significant impact on policing policies and practices. Below are some of the projects currently undertaken by the Policing team.
Current European Commissioned Projects include: (1) Scalable measure for automated recognition technologies. SMART consortium for EC investigation into the law on surveillance. European Commission 7th Framework Programme collaborative project. (2) Surveillance and the challenges for the security of the citizen (RESPECT). European Commission 7th Framework programme collaborative project. Additional EC proposals are currently under review (PICASO – Promoting Intelligence of crimes against small organisations).
With a wide range of experienced academics, former senior police officers and serving seconded officers within the team, current police collaborative research projects include:
- Domestic violence victims: influences on the cooperation with the police and other criminal justice agencies
- Male on male rape: An analysis of crime scene actions
- Homicide risk assessment tool
- Developing a scoring system for domestic violence risk assessment
- Examining the criminal histories of serious sexual offenders.
The unique opportunity of collaborative work with policing organisations has enabled larger research projects to be undertaken by Policing PhD students. Research areas of the current PhD students include:
- Examining Gun Crime Culture in Preston: Assessing the Risk and Aiding Prevention.
- Sexual consent: Investigating the myth of sexual miscommunication
- Police officers and domestic abuse: the concept of risk
- Investigative training in the context of Higher Education Frameworks
- Police culture and student officers.
Various other collaborative and multidisciplinary research projects have addressed a wide range of policing issues, including road transport, crimes against businesses, special constables personal development and assessments/feedback within police learning.
At an individual level, work undertaken by Doctor Michelle McManus has been recognised at an International level. Her Doctoral research assisted with the creation of KIRAT (Kent Internet Risk Assessment Tool), a risk management tool for individuals accessing indecent images of children. KIRAT was recently reported within CEOP’s thematic assessment (2012) as “the most rigorously tested assessment tool currently available” (p.11). This tool has been accredited by ACPO to be used by all Police Forces within the UK, and recently received funding to be extended to Europe, with International development due to commence next year.
Our aim is simple: to provide an evidenced based approach to policing issues.