Advances in Evidence-Based Policing

Evidence-based practice, first introduced in the field of medicine in the 1990s, has since been appropriated and popularised by several other domains, including policing. Considering different research methods, models of knowledge accumulation and the communication and presentation of evidence, this book contributes to policing scholarship policing by providing support for the evidence-based approach.

Drawing on themes of evidence production, knowledge management, linkage and exchange and capacity building, this book brings together international experts to consider different interpretations and meanings of evidence among academics and the police. It discusses the challenges of making evidence available to the police and strategies for overcoming barriers between researchers and practitioners, including collaboration and research design. It is essential reading for policing scholars and practitioners alike.

Johannes Knutsson is Professor of Police Research at the Norwegian Police University College. He has been employed at the Swedish National Police Academy and the Swedish National Police Board. He has conducted studies with and for the police for 40 years. Among other publications he has co-edited several books on different aspects of policing – Putting Theory to Work: Implementing situational prevention and problem-oriented policing (with Ron Clarke), Evaluating Crime Reduction Initiatives (with Nick Tilley), Police Use of Force: A global perspective (with Joseph Kuhns), Preventing Crowd Violence (with Tamara Madensen) and Applied Police Research: Challenges and opportunities (with Ella Cockbain).

Lisa Tompson is a Lecturer at the UCL Department of Security and Crime Science. As a former police crime intelligence analyst, her work focuses on research which has immediate relevance and benefit to police and crime reduction agencies. She has recently worked on research that underpins the UK’s What Works Centre for Crime Reduction, for which she and the team won a Chief Constable’s commendation in 2015.