Research projects map | College of Policing

How to use this map

Use the filters to see the research currently taking place across the UK that has been shared on the map. To view a list of the projects, select the project list filter. You can also find summaries of relevant randomised control trials (ongoing and completed).

Institution and police region	Number of projects
Nottingham Trent University East Midlands	1
University of Derby East Midlands	3
University of Leicester East Midlands	2
University of Lincoln East Midlands	1
University of Nottingham East Midlands	1
Anglia Ruskin University Eastern	3
University of Cambridge Eastern	11
University of East Anglia Eastern	1
University of Essex Eastern	1
Birkbeck, University of London London	1
City, University of London London	1
Goldsmiths, University of London London	1
Kingston University London	1
Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime London	5
Queen Mary University of London London	1
University College London London	7
University of West London London	3
Durham University North East	2
Edinburgh Napier North East	1
Leeds Beckett University North East	1
Northumbria University North East	4
Sheffield Hallam University North East	1
University of Huddersfield North East	1
University of Leeds North East	1
University of Sunderland North East	3
University of York North East	2
Lancaster University North West	3
Liverpool John Moores University North West	4
University of Central Lancashire North West	1
University of Chester North West	1
University of Cumbria North West	1
University of Manchester North West	1
York St John University North West	1
Queen Margaret University Scotland	2
University of Dundee Scotland	1
University of Edinburgh Scotland	2
University of Glasgow Scotland	1
University of Stirling Scotland	1
Canterbury Christ Church University South East	8
Thames Valley Police South East	1
The Open University South East	9
University of Kent South East	4
University of Oxford South East	1
University of Portsmouth South East	9
University of Southampton South East	1
University of Surrey South East	1
University of Sussex South East	1
University of Winchester South East	1
University of Bath South West	1
University of Exeter South West	1
University of Gloucestershire South West	2
Cardiff University Wales	1
University of South Wales Wales	6
Aston University West Midlands	1
College of Policing West Midlands	8
Coventry University West Midlands	1
Keele University West Midlands	5
Staffordshire University West Midlands	6
University of Birmingham West Midlands	2
University of Warwick West Midlands	8
University of Worcester West Midlands	2

Anglia Ruskin University
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Pilot project – the impact of support interventions on families of individuals suspected of online facilitated child sexual abuse offences, and the police officers involved in the investigation	Anglia Ruskin University	November 2021
Life on the ‘sex offender register’ – identity, reintegration and the significance of de-registration	Anglia Ruskin University	January 2020
The integration of academic, practitioner and offender knowledge to deliver excellence in the multi-agency risk management of violent and sexual offenders in the community	Anglia Ruskin University	January 2020

Aston University
Project title	Institution	Project start date
For the record – applying linguistics to improve evidential consistency in police investigative interview records	Aston University	January 2021

Birkbeck, University of London
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Barriers to reporting domestic violence and the community’s (un)willingness to cooperate with the police within the Polish community in London	Birkbeck, University of London	October 2018

Canterbury Christ Church University
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Perception of gender equality and fairness within the promotion process in a national police force	Canterbury Christ Church University	September 2022
Digital vigilantism and its involvement in the arrest, conviction and sentencing of child sex offenders in England and Wales	Canterbury Christ Church University	February 2022
Recognition and response – police forces in England & Wales’ approach to identifying and addressing the risk of sexual and criminal exploitation of 16- to 25-year-olds	Canterbury Christ Church University	February 2021
Senior investigating officers continued professional development arrangements - a practitioner's perspective	Canterbury Christ Church University	October 2020
Is there an impact of repeatedly working with traumatised victims of rape and child abuse on specialist police officers?	Canterbury Christ Church University	March 2019
A study into the professionalisation of policing by examining the link between the epistemic authority and self-legitimacy of frontline police constables	Canterbury Christ Church University	October 2016
Seen but not heard? Child survivor and practitioner views of the current video interview process in cases of sexual abuse against children	Canterbury Christ Church University	January 2016
Journey from policy to practice – local implementation of the ‘Ending Violence Against Women and Girls’ (VAWG) national domestic abuse strategy	Canterbury Christ Church University	October 2014

Cardiff University
Project title	Institution	Project start date
What is the nature of adolescent stalking in South Wales? A Foucauldian analysis of police reports	Cardiff University	September 2020

City, University of London
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Operation Soteria Bluestone	City, University of London	September 2021

College of Policing
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Assessment of aerobic demand of police personal safety training (PST)	College of Policing	April 2022
How officers, staff and volunteers, in practice, identify, approach and resolve ethical issues in policing	College of Policing	December 2021
An independent research programme on the causes of ethnic/racial disparities in the police use of Taser	College of Policing	November 2021
County lines and drugs supply – an evidence briefing	College of Policing	March 2021
Evaluation of the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship	College of Policing	August 2018
What works in wellbeing: a randomised controlled trial of mindfulness in policing	College of Policing	June 2018
Evaluation of police stop and search training	College of Policing	January 2015
The Greater Manchester Police Procedural Justice Training Experiment (RCT)	College of Policing	October 2011

Coventry University
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on criminal justice journeys of adult and child survivors of sexual abuse, rape, and sexual assault	Coventry University	November 2020

Durham University
Project title	Institution	Project start date
From report to court – crimes against older people	Durham University	March 2020
Violence against the police – an exploration of how officers navigate the challenges posed by violence	Durham University	October 2018

Edinburgh Napier
Project title	Institution	Project start date
INTERACT (Investigating New Types of Engagement, Response and Contact Technologies in Policing)	Edinburgh Napier	September 2021

Goldsmiths, University of London
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Economic espionage and cybercrime – evidence and strategy	Goldsmiths, University of London	April 2017

Keele University
Project title	Institution	Project start date
The nodal governance of counter-terrorism security: A public-private partnership case study in the delivery of protective counter-terrorism security at temporary events in England and Wales (pilot study)	Keele University	January 2023
How can digital evidence submissions from the public be used more effectively to reduce road offending and improve road safety?	Keele University	January 2022
Perceived threats and 'stampedes' – a relational model of collective fear responses	Keele University	September 2020
Roads policing reimagined – intentions, expectations and experiences of a new roads policing tasking methodology	Keele University	September 2019
Can a risk terrain analytical approach have a practical proactive application on reducing rural crime in Lincolnshire? (working title)	Keele University	September 2018

Kingston University
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Cold case homicide investigation – a global perspective (UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Pakistan & New Zealand) on policing polices and practices to solve unsolved homicides	Kingston University	October 2018

Lancaster University
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Using criminal justice datasets to investigate patterns of juvenile sexual offending	Lancaster University	October 2020
H-unique: In search of uniqueness - harnessing anatomical hand variation	Lancaster University	January 2019
Does victim empowerment align with perpetrator accountability – what are women's experiences of being named as a protected person under a domestic violence protection order (DVPO)?	Lancaster University	October 2018

Leeds Beckett University
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Perceptions of Victim Support Services in Derbyshire	Leeds Beckett University	September 2021

Liverpool John Moores University
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Whodunit – do detectives still have the skills they need to answer that eternal question?	Liverpool John Moores University	January 2023
The Management of Risk in Law Enforcement (MoRiLE) programme – to what extent can it help policing meet the challenges of modernity?	Liverpool John Moores University	October 2020
Public and police perceptions of legitimacy and procedural justice in Nigeria	Liverpool John Moores University	September 2020
Examining the use of business analysis techniques to police organised criminal networks	Liverpool John Moores University	April 2018

Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Exploring escalation and de-escalation within London Stop and Search encounters captured on Body Worn Video	Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime	November 2021
Youth Voice survey	Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime	November 2021
Female offender diversion pilot	Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime	May 2019
Female offenders (Phase 2 WrapAround Service)	Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime	May 2019
GPS knife crime tagging	Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime	February 2019

Northumbria University
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Police use of data from the sky – dissecting the human rights implications associated with deploying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in law enforcement in England and Wales	Northumbria University	January 2021
Supporting the interviewing and legal representation of crime victims and suspects using digital communication methods – is it 'remotely' possible?	Northumbria University	November 2020
Visible policing	Northumbria University	March 2019
Police detectives on the TOR-network – a study on tensions between privacy and crime fighting	Northumbria University	June 2017

Nottingham Trent University
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Understanding victims' and police experiences of image-based sexual abuse	Nottingham Trent University	July 2022

Queen Margaret University
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Maximizing the effectiveness of Police Scotland investigations when people living with dementia go missing	Queen Margaret University	September 2018
Determining boundary conditions of the weapon focus effect	Queen Margaret University	September 2015

Queen Mary University of London
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Attitudes of polices officers towards algorithmic discretion: Empirical evidence from the UK	Queen Mary University of London	May 2021

Sheffield Hallam University
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Silent, present and marking – exploring the efficacy of domestic abuse lockdown policing initiatives	Sheffield Hallam University	October 2020

Staffordshire University
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Routes to speed safety: Understanding and measuring the contribution of Community Speedwatch	Staffordshire University	March 2022
Buried justice – a critical review into the cross-matching of unidentified bodies and missing persons reports in England and Wales	Staffordshire University	January 2021
Virtual Reality compared to traditional methods in CSI training	Staffordshire University	January 2021
Enhancing efficiency and effectiveness in the investigation of criminally used firearms and ammunition	Staffordshire University	May 2020
Perceptions of the crime-terror nexus in prison	Staffordshire University	September 2019
Evaluating how to improve confidence in reporting of sexual offences (working title)	Staffordshire University	March 2019

Thames Valley Police
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Joint Operations Unit hot spot policing randomised control trial	Thames Valley Police	October 2021

The Open University
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Reinforcing public accountability by exploring and addressing governance issues in UK policing	The Open University	April 2022
Evaluation of Manchester Investment Hub supporting young people impacted by organised crime	The Open University	December 2021
Building the evidence base for effective tutoring of police recruits	The Open University	October 2021
Research into practice and practice into research	The Open University	September 2019
The impact of police forces and football clubs working together to provide a platform for coaching and mentoring for young people who have received a Threat to Life Notice	The Open University	August 2019
Community perception of threat	The Open University	March 2019
Risk prediction and decision making in policing – humans, algorithms and data (a study of processes at Bedfordshire police, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire constabularies)	The Open University	October 2018
The social harm of self-generated indecent images of children – is it a problem for law enforcement?	The Open University	August 2018
Applications of complexity science in policing – can agent-based simulation inform police policymaking?	The Open University	December 2016

University College London
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Nudge burglary interventions – an RCT relating to reducing student burglaries	University College London	July 2022
Human factors affecting the triaging of crime scene items	University College London	April 2022
Policing a pandemic – A hybrid Delphi approach study on COVID-19	University College London	May 2021
Cybercrime, place, and the internet	University College London	October 2018
Gender and Internet of Things (IoT)	University College London	January 2018
An investigation into 3D printing of osteological remains – the metrology and ethics of virtual anthropology	University College London	September 2016
Operation Swordfish	University College London	September 2012

University of Bath
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Interviewing police suspects with autism – testing theory and best practice for interviews	University of Bath	October 2019

University of Birmingham
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Determining how UK policing should construct identification parades – using diagnostic-feature-detection theory to maximise eyewitness identification accuracy	University of Birmingham	October 2021
A prospective longitudinal study of the impact of exposure to traumatic material on wellbeing and its causal mechanisms in 'back office' police and law	University of Birmingham	September 2020

University of Cambridge
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Street outreach project	University of Cambridge	October 2022
'The copper's nose' project	University of Cambridge	January 2022
Rapid video response – virtual response to domestic abuse calls for service versus face to face responses by police officers	University of Cambridge	February 2021
Policing domestic abuse – case study of an English police force	University of Cambridge	October 2018
Turning Point NW-London: A replication randomised trial of police-led diversion in North West London	University of Cambridge	July 2018
Effects of police community support officer hot spot foot patrol on crime and incidents in a small city centre setting	University of Cambridge	June 2018
If the Shoe Fits: A randomised control trial measuring the effectiveness of digitised in-custody footwear technology compared with paper based methods	University of Cambridge	May 2017
Do visits or time spent in hot spots matter most? A randomised control trial in the West Midlands Police	University of Cambridge	June 2015
Testing the effect of BWV in the WMP: An RCT	University of Cambridge	June 2014
A randomised control trial of hot spot policing on the London bus network (Operation Menas)	University of Cambridge	January 2014
Project START – Short Term at Release Tagging (RCT)	University of Cambridge	June 2013

University of Central Lancashire
Project title	Institution	Project start date
How do the police define, identify and respond to vulnerability?	University of Central Lancashire	January 2016

University of Chester
Project title	Institution	Project start date
'Cognition, collaboration and community safety' – an investigation into the institutional logics of police and partners in the light of current and future challenges	University of Chester	January 2020

University of Cumbria
Project title	Institution	Project start date
In a professionalised police service will graduate officers find the 'discretionary space' to use their critical thinking skills?	University of Cumbria	October 2017

University of Derby
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Level 6 undergraduate research projects – how to maximise the impact and value within UK policing	University of Derby	September 2022
Assessing the benefits of body-worn video on officer and subject behaviour	University of Derby	October 2015
Could police officers inform our understanding of terrorism?	University of Derby	May 2014

University of Dundee
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Examining the nature and impact of ethics panels in UK policing	University of Dundee	September 2017

University of East Anglia
Project title	Institution	Project start date
TACIT - Translation and Communication in Training	University of East Anglia	April 2013

University of Edinburgh
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Policing the pandemic – the role of enforcement in securing compliance with the coronavirus regulations	University of Edinburgh	March 2021
The causes and motivations of hate crime – implications for criminal justice social work and beyond	University of Edinburgh	September 2017

University of Essex
Project title	Institution	Project start date
The effectiveness of the UK's CONTEST strand of Prevent	University of Essex	October 2021

University of Exeter
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Shame competence training	University of Exeter	April 2022

University of Glasgow
Project title	Institution	Project start date
"Police as Ploughmen": How the police helped Britain to overcome starvation in the First World War	University of Glasgow	October 2019

University of Gloucestershire
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Critical evaluation of the use of restorative justice as an out-of-court disposal	University of Gloucestershire	October 2021
Critically examining Special Police Service (SPS) arrangements for football policing in England and Wales	University of Gloucestershire	October 2019

University of Huddersfield
Project title	Institution	Project start date
An experimental analysis of the use of digital crime scene footwear capture methods compared to traditional manual alternatives	University of Huddersfield	September 2017

University of Kent
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Autistic people in contact with the police – understanding identification, prevalence, characteristics and journeys into and out of police services	University of Kent	May 2022
Families and the Internet-of-Things (IoT) – approaches and technologies to support home users' engagement with cyber security	University of Kent	January 2020
Sexual aggression in UK higher education – a treatment needs analysis of male student perpetrators	University of Kent	September 2018
Understanding preventive counter terrorism policing – what shapes police practitioner understandings of preventive counter terrorism?	University of Kent	August 2017

University of Leeds
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Policing beyond the pandemic – the transformation of police work practices in response to the crisis	University of Leeds	December 2020

University of Leicester
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Saving life and limb: An investigation into the mental health of student police officers in the UK	University of Leicester	September 2021
Early intervention in repeat cases of domestic abuse: An evaluation of Project 360	University of Leicester	October 2014

University of Lincoln
Project title	Institution	Project start date
'Decoding the silence – an oral history of the impact of leadership and organisational culture upon police officer motivation in an English metropolitan police force	University of Lincoln	February 2018

University of Manchester
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Associative links between deprivation and domestic violence and abuse	University of Manchester	May 2019

University of Nottingham
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Exploring the experiences of workplace stress within the UK police	University of Nottingham	June 2022

University of Oxford
Project title	Institution	Project start date
How do police officers work with and respond to the gender dynamics of male and female Intimate Partner Violence perpetration?	University of Oxford	October 2019

University of Portsmouth
Project title	Institution	Project start date
A comparison between self-reported attitudes and physiological reactions to the criminal justice system	University of Portsmouth	January 2022
An evidence-based approach to promoting honesty in child witnesses	University of Portsmouth	October 2021
Understanding voluntary resignations from the police service	University of Portsmouth	September 2021
A critical exploration of the PEQF – considering how recruits learn to be police officers and the influence of informal learning on their development	University of Portsmouth	June 2021
The characteristics of persistent young offenders	University of Portsmouth	February 2021
The use of Alternative Light Sources in the search and recovery of human remains after a fire	University of Portsmouth	September 2019
Cybercrime investigation – exploring the factors behind case losses	University of Portsmouth	September 2018
‘On the scene and dealing’ – an exploratory study into the cognitive processing of the London Bridge 2017 terror attack on police first responders	University of Portsmouth	September 2018
Role of interview manager with vulnerable suspects – assessing the risk in high stake investigations	University of Portsmouth	February 2014

University of South Wales
Project title	Institution	Project start date
An officer's rationalisation of adding value attributed to ongoing changes within the PSNI – a case study	University of South Wales	September 2022
Missing-murdered: Identifying vulnerabilities and risk factors	University of South Wales	May 2022
Understanding the declining charging rate in homicide offences in England and Wales	University of South Wales	May 2022
An evaluation of the Police Professional Qualifications	University of South Wales	June 2021
An exploration into the sensemaking of crime scene investigators at sudden and suspicious deaths	University of South Wales	April 2021
A critical evaluation of police policy implementation and victim satisfaction of domestic abuse in Wales	University of South Wales	January 2016

University of Southampton
Project title	Institution	Project start date
To what extent is evidence-based practice currently a reality in UK policing?	University of Southampton	March 2020

University of Stirling
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Connecting the dots – using open-source intelligence to map covert networks, vulnerability and exploitation within the off-street sex market	University of Stirling	September 2019

University of Sunderland
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Does organisational 'buy-in' and police culture have an impact on the success and retention of direct entry detectives?	University of Sunderland	September 2022
Adoption and use of evidence-based policing by volunteers in policing	University of Sunderland	July 2022
The motivations and initial training of volunteer leaders with the Volunteer Police Cadet (VPC) scheme	University of Sunderland	September 2020

University of Surrey
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Finding the balance – an examination of police use of facial recognition technology and its relationship with citizens' human and data protection rights	University of Surrey	September 2021

University of Sussex
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Working together during major incidents and emergencies – optimising interoperability during major incident management using the social identity approach	University of Sussex	February 2020

University of Warwick
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Understanding individual differences in police attitudes about violence and decision making	University of Warwick	October 2022
Policing, culture & community – West Midlands Police as City of Culture partners	University of Warwick	August 2021
Comparing crime prevention, countering extremism and social policies in Europe	University of Warwick	February 2020
Policing police discretion – the use of BWV in stop and search	University of Warwick	October 2015
3D laser scanning and visualisation for Bloodstain Pattern Analysis	University of Warwick	September 2015
High-resolution imaging of paediatric non-accidental injuries using micro-CT scanning and visualisation	University of Warwick	September 2015
Visualisation of injuries for court presentations	University of Warwick	September 2015
Improving strangulation diagnoses using micro-CT	University of Warwick	August 2015

University of West London
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Understanding of forensic intelligence within policing forensics	University of West London	March 2021
Do police officers perceive themselves, and the incidents they attend, differently depending on the type of uniform they are wearing?	University of West London	October 2020
Issues of trust and confidence in the Metropolitan Police Service from ethnic minority groups in London – a procedural justice approach	University of West London	March 2018

University of Winchester
Project title	Institution	Project start date
The effectiveness of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight’s rape and sexual assault services for vulnerable victims	University of Winchester	April 2022

University of Worcester
Project title	Institution	Project start date
A longitudinal evaluation of political astuteness leadership development training – a study of police managers in a United Kingdom police force	University of Worcester	January 2016
Leaders’ ethical decision-making: The importance of followers and context	University of Worcester	January 2014

University of York
Project title	Institution	Project start date
County lines, policing & vulnerability study	University of York	May 2022
Mental health training for police officers: A randomised controlled trial	University of York	September 2015

York St John University
Project title	Institution	Project start date
Frozen in time – does the public police’s monopoly control of cold case homicide investigations limit victims’ opportunities for justice? A comparative study of private policing and regulatory policing in the investigation of historic cold case homicide	York St John University	October 2020

Share your research on the map

Research projects

You can share your research if it is:

relevant to policing and crime reduction
at Masters degree level or above
carried out in conjunction with a UK university
ongoing and not completed

Projects are removed from the map once they are completed and you will have the opportunity to share your findings with the National Police Library.

Send details of your project using the form. Your submission will then be processed and published.

Complete the research submission form

Randomised control trials (RCTs)

RCTs can be shared on the map if they are:

relevant to policing and crime reduction
either force-led or carried out in conjunction with a UK university
either ongoing or completed

Send details of your RCT using the form. Your submission will then be processed and published.

Complete the RCT submission form

Removing your project or personal details

You can request that your name and email address or project are removed at any time.

Email [email protected] with the information you would like removed or changed.