South West university chosen for national centre of excellence in policing
A new Policing Academic Centre of Excellence will be created at the University of Bath in October to improve connections between academic researchers and police forces.
Announced by the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) as one of nine new Policing Academic Centres of Excellence, they will make it easier to identify and draw upon the best research evidence, science, and technologies to drive service improvement.
Funded in partnership with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the £4.5m investment will see each Policing Academic Centre of Excellence promoted across the policing sector as an accessible source of leading academic experts aligned with Policing’s Areas of Research Interest (ARIs) and evidence needs.
The P-ACEs will support policing with adopting new technologies, developing new tools and techniques, improving training and skills, and increasing public safety.
Dr Katie Maras, from the Department of Psychology, said: “We are delighted to have been identified as one of the nine ESRC P-ACEs. We have substantial (yet until now under-recognised) interdisciplinary expertise in policing across the University.
“This exciting and timely opportunity will enable us to consolidate, mobilise and build upon multi-disciplinary expertise at Bath in a fast-track, two-way knowledge exchange platform with our network of policing partners.
“Our aim is to develop creative, evidence-based approaches to addressing some of the key challenges in policing, including through education opportunities and the co-creation of new research, operational tools and training.”
Dr Olivia Brown, from the University’s School of Management, and deputy director of the Institute for Digital Security and Behaviour, said “The P-ACE at Bath provides the opportunity to build better and stronger relationships across UK policing, addressing complex, enduring challenges such as countering violent extremism and safeguarding vulnerable populations (eg children and those with autism).
“Our P-ACE will mobilise existing multi-disciplinary expertise across the University to provide a rapid response to policing priorities, in addition to providing a catalyst to longer term initiatives, such as translating research at Bath into operational tools and training, establishing an expert network and generating further placement and educational opportunities between Bath and the police.”
Professor Paul Taylor, police chief scientific adviser, said: “Academia and policing have a long history of collaborative working on issues as diverse as forensic science, crime prevention, and analytical technologies. The P-ACEs will fortify this connection, providing a focal point for research and knowledge exchange.
“I’m particularly excited about what the P-ACEs can bring to early career scientists who are interested in tackling the complex challenge of keeping the UK public safe. The P-ACE community will, I hope, provide them more opportunities and greater support as we look to forge deep and lasting partnerships over the next decade.”
Stian Westlake, executive chair of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), said: “The Policing Academic Centres of Excellence will forge closer relationships between police forces and researchers, providing the police with data and evidence to make the justice system work better. By bringing experts in policing practice together with social scientists and data scientists across the country, the centres will provide knowledge and insights to drive service improvement. These centres of excellence demonstrate our commitment to reducing crime and making Britain a safer place.”
Eight additional P-ACEs will be located at Edinburgh Napier University (with Glasgow Caledonian University, University of St Andrews and University of Edinburgh), Lancaster University, Manchester Metropolitan University (with University of Manchester), Nottingham Trent University, University College London, University of Birmingham (with Aston University and University of Leicester), University of Leeds (with University of York), and University of Portsmouth.
