12 March 2009

Scottish Institute for policing research - 2nd Annual Report

The 'unique collaboration' between Scotland's senior police officers and the academic research community is now viewed internationally as a model of good practice and is increasingly shaping the approaches being taken by other collaborative research bodies in the UK.

In his second Annual Report, Professor Nick Fyfe, Director of the Scottish Institute for Policing Research, highlights the growth in research capacity which has been created by the Institute, and highlights key areas of research activity now being explored by academics in conjunction with Scotland’s eight police forces.

Money laundering, e-fraud, policing the night time economy, and radicalisation are areas of research which may inform more complex policing activity in the future, but it is also recognised that more has yet to be understood about the investigation of rape, the sharing of intelligence between the police and community partners, and interviewing people with learning disabilities.

Professor Fyfe, of the University of Dundee, said 'The key to the success of the Institute during its first two years has been the unique collaboration between Scotland’s Chief Constables and the Universities. This has led to real engagement between academics and police professionals who have been increasingly interested in understanding what research evidence has to tell them about how they do their job better. One of the most visible successes has been the range of topics discussed under the general banner of knowledge transfer, and this is now attracting the interest of the international academic and policing communities.'

The importance of the Institute being recognised as having international standing has led to invitations being extended to ‘Visiting Professors’ to contribute to the Institute’s three networks - Professor David Kennedy, from John Jay College, New York, is associated with the Police-Community Relations Network; Professor Anders Granhag of the University of Gothenberg joins the Evidence and Investigation Network; and Professor Philip Stenning of Keele University is engaged with the Police Organisation Network.

The Scottish Institute for Policing Research will also be meeting shortly with colleagues in the Dutch Police Academy, the Centre for Police Studies in Belgium, the Norwegian Police University College, and others to discuss a programme of comparative research which will allow Scotland to learn from and contribute to discussions about policing in other parts of Europe.

The visibility of the SIPR as a critical mass of expertise has attracted further success through an additional £900K in external funding. This very much meets the expectations of the Scottish Funding Council whose funding of the Institute was intended to create the environment for capacity growth.

Looking to the future, the Institute is developing organisational relationships with the international academic community, developing a Graduate Programme in Policing in conjunction with the Scottish Police College, and exploring ways in which the reputation of, and the intellectual property within, Scottish Policing might be developed and shared with others. At the same time it is hoped that these relationships will bring international knowledge and good practice into Scotland.

Chief Constable Patrick Shearer, Vice-President of the Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland (due to be president from 1 April 2009), said 'There is no doubt that the Scottish Institute for Policing Research has established itself as a credible reference point for knowledge improvement. The range of topics now being debated with the benefit of evidence from internationally recognised researchers is testimony to the desire for enhanced professional knowledge across the Scottish Police Service.'

Note to editors
SIPR is a collaboration between 12 of Scotland’s Universities, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, and the Scottish Funding Council. More information and a full copy of the Annual Report can be found on www.sipr.ac.uk.

Individual comment from Professor Fyfe can be accessed by contacting him on 01382 384425, or Chief Constable Shearer on 01387 242201

For media enquiries contact:
Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk