How It Works: Police-Science Collaboration Towards Evidence-Based Policing

• In Event: The interplay of Police and Science: what can we learn from each other?

Abstract

Evidence-based policing (EBP) means that the best available evidence is used to inform and challenge policing policies, practices and decisions (UK College of Policing). So, this is clearly about policing, not about academia. However, EBP can be supported by collaboration with academics. While EBP has often been incorrectly characterized as favoring a specific scientific method (i.e. randomized controlled trials) over others, we argue that this is only the result of the type of question EBP-proponents have been trying to answer. Indeed, RCTs could provide strong evidence for the effect of some intervention, tactic, or strategy in a certain context. However, other questions are just as important to decision-makers in police, which is why we embrace the EMMIE framework that is strongly rooted in the realist evaluation tradition. Next to questions regarding the Effect, police and academics should be equally interested in answering questions regarding the Mechanisms, Moderators, Implementation, and Economics. Answering these often require the full gamut of research methodologies. We discuss how we aim to contribute to EBP in the Netherlands and what it requires from both police practitioners and academics.

Authors

• Mieke Struike, Netherlands Police

• Valérie Peeck, Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement NSCR

• Vana Hutter, Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR), Amsterdam, the Netherlands Department of Human Movement Sciences, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherla

• Stijn Ruiter, NSCR