Researchers to lead prestigious Policing-Academic Centre of Excellence

Professors Dan Birks and Adam Crawford to lead new Policing-Academic Centre of Excellence working to harness and maximise the impact of research excellence across the Universities of Leeds and York.

The Policing-Academic Centre of Excellence (P-ACE) will combine multi-disciplinary research and innovation from the Universities of Leeds and York to equip police and partners with the best research evidence available.

The P-ACE based at Leeds and York is one of nine Policing-Academic Centres of Excellence (P-ACEs) funded by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) in partnership with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). As well as Professor Birks and Professor Crawford, Dr Anna Barker (Leeds), Dr Toby Davies (Leeds), Dr Nadia Jessop (York) and Dr Ali Malik (Leeds) join the P-ACE as co-investigators.

Working closely with UK policing stakeholders, the P-ACEs will drive collaboration among academia and policing. They will ensure that policing is shaped by the most up to date scientific evidence, and that leading researchers nationwide are able to challenge and innovate in partnership with policing as they strive to improve public safety.

Professor Dan Birks said:

We are delighted with this investment by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, which builds on a strong foundation of interdisciplinary policing research at Leeds and York, including the ESRC Vulnerability and Policing Futures Research Centre and the N8 Policing Research Partnership.

“The Centre of Excellence will bring together complementary strengths from both universities, offering extensive expertise in four key areas of modern policing: crime prevention, public trust, data analytics, and climate change. It will also oversee a fund to support research and evidence synthesis aligned with these policing priorities.

“The P-ACE team looks forward to collaborating with colleagues across disciplines at both institutions along with policing partners to apply existing research knowledge, generate new insights, challenge assumptions, and support evidence-informed approaches to some of the most pressing challenges facing policing today.”

Professor Adam Crawford said: “Our new Policing-Academic Centre of Excellence will harness and magnify key research findings emerging from the Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre’s programme, including work on public trust and confidence in policing and our comprehensive data analytics programme. In addition, it will build upon internationally renowned existing centres of research excellence from across both institutions with relevance for the future of policing, including the Leeds Institute for Data Analytics and Priestley Centre for Climate Futures at Leeds and the York Environmental Sustainability Institute and Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at York.”

Through this work, we hope that this collaborative investment will enable policing to build resilience, prepare for future challenges and advance a better understanding of what works.

Professor Nick Plant, Pro-Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation at the University of Leeds, said:

This prestigious recognition underscores the significant impact of our collaborative research efforts, particularly with our esteemed colleagues at the University of York.

“We are confident that this initiative will not only advance our understanding of critical issues but also contribute to the development of strategies that promote a safer society for all.”

Areas of research interest

Each Policing Academic Centre of Excellence 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 to adopt new technologies, develop new tools and techniques, improve training and skills, and increase public safety.

The Policing-Academic Centre of Excellence based at the Universities of Leeds and York will provide expertise in the following key areas of research interest:

Crime Prevention – led by Dr Anna Barker: county lines; online child sexual exploitation; domestic abuse; modern slavery, mental health; violence against women and girls; knife crime; domestic violence; child-to-parent violence; youth crime, anti-social behaviour and early intervention.

Public Trust – led by Dr Nadia Jessop: public perceptions; police legitimacy; minimum policing standards; procedural justice; trust and confidence among minoritised and marginalised communities.

Data Analytics – led by Dr Toby Davies: spatio-temporal concentrations of crime; public-service data linkage; crime risk forecasting; AI-driven analyses of unstructured police data; police demand modelling; risk assessment tools.

Climate Change – led by Dr Ali Malik: responding to global warming; scenario planning; climate adaptation; climate mitigation and sustainable policing futures; partnership working and community resilience; net zero challenges.

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.”