Funding for knowledge

Tuesday, 03 March, 2015

 

A fund to support closer working between police and academia, providing opportunities for officers and staff to get involved in innovative approaches to policing and crime reduction has been launched.

The College of Policing's work to understand best practice in policing methods and develop an evidence base of what works in reducing crime has highlighted the benefit of productive partnerships between forces and academic institutions.
The Police Knowledge Fund is jointly resourced by the Home Office and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), who has agreed with the College to administer the grants.

College of Policing chair Professor Dame Shirley Pearce said:
"Developing effective relationships between forces and universities is a key part in growing the knowledge base for policing. This knowledge fund will help cement these relationships and enable ideas from frontline practitioners to be considered alongside knowledge from academics. It is a significant step in developing the policing profession."

College of Policing director of Knowledge Research and Education Rachel Tuffin said: "The College of Policing has been working with HEFCE to secure match funding for grants to support education and research collaborations between police forces and academic institutions.

"In building the evidence-base in policing we want to ensure frontline officers and staff can develop their skills, build their knowledge and expertise about what really works in policing and crime reduction and put it into practice."
It is hoped that the police will join forces with experts from a wide range of disciplines including criminology, economics, neuroscience, epidemiology and computer science to develop new skills, understand more about why crimes are committed and use that evidence to develop new and innovative ways of policing.


HEFCE's Chief Executive, Professor Madeleine Atkins, said:
"We are delighted to be working with the Home Office and the College of Policing on the new Police Knowledge Fund."

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