N8 Policing Research Partnership
Launched at the end of 2013, the N8 Policing Research Partnership (N8 PRP) has been established to enable and foster research collaborations that will help address the problems of policing in the 21st century and achieve international excellence in policing research and impact. It builds upon the experiences of an ESRC funded knowledge exchange pilot project between the University of Leeds and West Yorkshire Police, exploring different models of knowledge exchange and research co-production across a number of core policing issues.
The N8 PRP is conducted through the N8 Research Partnership, an established collaboration between the eight most research-intensive universities in the North of England (Durham, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield and York). Since 2007 the N8 Research Partnership has delivered ground breaking collaborative programmes in research, equipment sharing and industry engagement.
The aim of the N8 PRP is to establish and formalise a regional network of research and innovation in policing. It provides a platform for collaborations between universities, Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), Government, police forces, and other partners working in policing policy, governance and practice.
New £3m programme to inform policing policy and practice
In February 2015 the partnership was awarded a £3m grant from the HEFCE Catalyst Fund which, supplemented by a further £3.7m from policing partners and N8 universities, will lead to the development of a new programme of research and knowledge sharing which will play a key role in informing future policing policy. This will enable academics and the police to take a major step forward in developing and testing innovative approaches to policing and crime reduction.
Led by the University of Leeds, it brings together researchers from a variety of disciplines, Police and Crime Commissioners, police and partners organisations to generate new insights with practical relevance.
Key priorities of the initiative are:
- research co-production
- innovation in policing strategies
- mobilising human and data resources to understand crime patterns
- citizen engagement to assess the public reception of new technologies, policing practices and change
The five-year project aims to strengthen the evidence base upon which policing policy, practice and learning are developed. It is anticipated that this initiative will make an important contribution to innovation and the utilisation of research in advancing the professionalisation of policing.
Professor Sandra Walklate, from the Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology and the project’s Lead for the University of Liverpool commented: “This success provides a platform ready to be filled by activities involving policing and police commissioner partners and universities across the north. It is a real opportunity for all policing researchers to make connections and engage in work with impact through cross institutional and policing collaborations.”
Professor Adam Crawford, of the School of Law at the University of Leeds and the Director of the N8 PRP, explained: “We want to transform the relationship between police users and academic researchers so that we co-produce the knowledge that will inform and improve the policing strategies of the future.”
“This is a fantastic opportunity for us to combine the intellectual power and research excellence of eight leading Universities with the resources, capabilities and practical skills of police forces across the north of England. Together, we now have an opportunity to make a real difference to public safety through cutting-edge research and knowledge exchange that will deliver collaborative advantages.”
Further details are available on the University of Leeds website and on the HEFCE website.