NPCC launching nine Policing Academic Centres of Excellence

Working closely with forces, the P-ACEs will drive collaboration among academia and policing. They will ensure that policing is shaped by the latest and best scientific expertise, and that the UK’s leading researchers are able to challenge and innovate in partnership with policing as together we strive to improve public safety.

Each P-ACE will be 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.

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), added: “The P-ACEs 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.”

The NPCC says the two key functions of the P-ACEs are to:

• Mobilise, showcase and make accessible to policing key insights, findings and outputs from their work; and
• Respond to the evidence needs, questions and problems raised by policing and work with policing to co-develop new research and knowledge exchange activities

The following universities have been selected to be P-ACEs:

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 Bath

University of Birmingham, with Aston University and University of Leicester

University of Leeds, with University of York

University of Portsmouth