Assessing Transmission and Translation of Learning about Evidence-Based Policing by Graduate Trainee Police Officers

Studies have identified that police officers often support and value evidence-based policing (EBP), but nevertheless prefer relying on experience when making decisions. Yet, policing scholars have paid little attention to the generality of this proclivity, the psychological mechanisms behind it, or to its implications for implementing EBP. The present study illuminates this phenomenon. We review its psychological foundations and use a survey of high-ranking officers from the Israel Police to examine its prevalence. We find that while officers support EBP overall, they believe that decisions should be based primarily on experience, not research. The two were found to be separate (although correlated) constructs. Furthermore, we find that the preference for experience as the basis for decision making is an overarching trait, not associated with personal-level characteristics. We discuss the implications of our findings and argue that attempts to implement EBP should recognize and work with this inherent psychological inclination.

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Evidence-based policing

Bezbednost Beograd ◽

10.5937/bezbednost2003162s ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 62 (3) ◽

pp. 162-185

Author(s):

Dragana Spasić

Keyword(s):

Police Officers ◽

Professional Community ◽

Decision Making Process ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Comprehensive Description ◽

New Approach ◽

Police Decision Making ◽

Set Up ◽

Based Medicine ◽

Evidence Based Policing

The concept of evidence-based policing is a relatively new approach to policing that has been drawing the attention of the scientific and professional public for more than two decades, and which was inspired by a broader movement, based on the notion of "evidence-based practice". Around the world associations (so called societies) have been set up to advance the idea of evidence-based policing trough conducting and disseminating police research. The intention of the academic and professional community is to create a knowledge base that will assist the police in making decisions regarding the implementation of particular strategies and tactics in order to achieve the desired goal. Despite the current relevance of this issue, a previously conducted survey among police officers and police educators from these areas has shown that a large number of them are not yet aware of the concept mentioned above. Bearing this in mind, as well as the fact that the majority of the respondents stated that they turn to journal Bezbednost when acquiring information about the latest topics and trends in the field of policing, the author here seeks to give brief but comprehensive description of the new concept. In order to make this possible, the first part of the paper gives an overview of the notion of evidence-based medicine and the early origins of the idea of evidence-based policing. The second part of the paper is devoted to defining the notion of evidence-based policing and to more closely defining the term "evidence" in this context. Finally, a model is presented, created by Sherman, that represents the proposed framework for incorporating this concept into the police decision-making process.

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Policing Research and the Rise of the ‘Evidence-Base’: Police Officer and Staff Understandings of Research, its Implementation and ‘What Works’

Sociology ◽

10.1177/0038038516664684 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 52 (4) ◽

pp. 813-829 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Karen Lumsden ◽

Jackie Goode

Keyword(s):

Police Officers ◽

Evidence Base ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Policy And Practice ◽

Social Scientists ◽

Conducting Research ◽

The Uk ◽

Organisational Factors ◽

Evidence Based Policing

Despite the pitfalls identified in previous critiques of the evidence-based practice movement in education, health, medicine and social care, recent years have witnessed its spread to the realm of policing. This article considers the rise of evidence-based policy and practice as a dominant discourse in policing in the UK, and the implications this has for social scientists conducting research in this area, and for police officers and staff. Social scientists conducting research with police must consider organisational factors impacting upon police work, as well as the wider political agendas which constrain it – in this case, the ways in which the adoption of evidence-based policing and the related ‘gold standard’ used to evaluate research act as a ‘technology of power’ to shape the nature of policing/research. The discussion draws on semi-structured interviews conducted with police officers and staff from police forces in England.

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‘It’s a Profession, it Isn’t a Job’: Police Officers’ Views on the Professionalisation of Policing in England

Sociological Research Online ◽

10.1177/1360780417724062 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 22 (3) ◽

pp. 4-20 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Karen Lumsden

Keyword(s):

Police Officers ◽

Public Management ◽

New Public Management ◽

Qualitative Interviews ◽

Evidence Base ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Top Down ◽

New Public ◽

Government Reforms ◽

Evidence Based Policing

This article focuses on police officers’ views on the professionalisation of policing in England against a backdrop of government reforms to policing via establishment of the College of Policing, evidence-based policing, and a period of austerity. Police officers view professionalisation as linked to top-down government reforms, education and recruitment, building of an evidence-base, and ethics of policing (Peelian principles). These elements are further entangled with new public management principles, highlighting the ways in which professionalism can be used as a technology of control to discipline workers. There are tensions between the government’s top-down drive for police organisations to professionalise and officers’ bottom-up views on policing as an established profession. Data are presented from qualitative interviews with 15 police officers and staff in England.

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Prioritizing Indecent Image Offenders: A Systematic Review and Economic Approach to Understand the Benefits of Evidence-Based Policing Strategies

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.606731 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Susan Giles ◽

Laurence Alison

Keyword(s):

Police Officers ◽

Economic Burden ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Male Population ◽

Lifetime Costs ◽

Police Action ◽

The Uk ◽

Clear Idea ◽

Effective Use ◽

Evidence Based Policing

In 2013, there were an estimated 50,000 individuals involved in downloading and sharing indecent images of children (IIOC) in the United Kingdom (UK). This poses challenges for limited police resources. We argue that police officers can make most effective use of limited resources by prioritizing those offenders who pose the greatest risk of contact offending, by nature of demonstrable pedophilia, hebephilia or dual offending status and thus, those at highest risk must be dealt with first. What is currently lacking is a clear idea of the potential scale of the problem in socio-economic terms and why, therefore, it is so important that evidence-based approaches to offender detection and investigation continue to be a top priority for funders and policy makers. A systematic literature review was undertaken to address two related questions. First, what is the scale of the problem in the UK, in terms of the number of pedophilic and hebephilic individuals who pose a risk of contact offending against a child? Second, what is the potential socio-economic burden generated by the national IIOC suspect pool if left unattended to by targeted police action? Applying population estimates of pedophilia and hebephilia to the male population (16–89 years), we estimate there are between 2,365–5,991 males with paedophila and 12,218–30,952 males with hebephilia who are likely contact offenders. Applying average prevalence and incidence based costing methods to a conservative estimate of one victim per offender, the combined socio-economic burden from these persons could amount to £236-£597 million (incident costs) increasing to £2.9-£7.3 billion (lifetime costs; £3.3-£8.3 billion including QALY measures). Applying the same costs to CEOP (2013) estimate of 50,000 IIOC offenders we estimate that between 6,000 and 27,500 dual offenders could have already committed past contact offenses, contributing an economic burden of between £97–£445 million (incident costs) increasing to £1.2–£5.4 billion (lifetime costs; £1.4–£6.2 billion including QALY measures). Future contact offenses could contribute a further burden of £16–£18.6 million (incident costs) increasing to £198–£227 million (lifetime costs; £226–£260 million including QALY measures). Drawing upon these findings, we argue for the benefits of a research-informed prioritization approach to target IIOC offenders.

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Assessing the appetite for evidence based policing: A UK based study

International Journal of Police Science & Management ◽

10.1177/1461355719838930 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 91-100

Author(s):

Ian Palmer ◽

Stuart Kirby ◽

Rebecca Coleman

Keyword(s):

Professional Development ◽

Organizational Culture ◽

Police Officers ◽

Evidence Based Practice ◽

Police Force ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Lower Ranking ◽

New Ideas ◽

Evidence Based Policing ◽

Implementation Plans

Although evidence-based policing (EBP) has emerged in Europe, Australasia and the Americas, its level of implementation has received little scrutiny. Using a questionnaire completed by 625 police staff employed by a major UK police force, this study examines how police employees both view and use evidence-based practice. The study found that although the term EBP was recognized widely, its use was less apparent. The findings specifically distinguished lower ranked officers from senior police officers, and discriminated between warranted (sworn) officers and non-warranted (unsworn) civilian staff. It showed that lower ranking officers (constables) were more likely to value experience over academic evidence and collaboration, whereas senior ranks were much more likely to embrace EBP principles. Further, civilian staff were less likely to view new ideas as a ‘fad’ and be more open to research experimentation and evaluation, albeit they had fewer internal avenues to pursue professional development. In summary, it is argued that to develop an environment in which EBP can thrive, explicit implementation plans that consider issues such as organizational culture, are helpful.

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