ABSTRACT

Remarkably little has been written about the theory and practice of applied police research, despite growing demand for evidence in crime prevention. Designed to fill this gap, this book offers a valuable new resource. It contains a carefully curated selection of contributions from some of the world's leading applied police researchers. Together, the authors have almost 300 years of relevant experience across three continents.

The volume contains both practical everyday advice and calls for more fundamental change in how police research is created, consumed and applied. It covers diverse topics, including the art of effective collaborations, the interaction between policing, academia and policy, the interplay between theory and practice and managing ethical dilemmas. This book will interest a broad and international audience from academics and students, to police management, officers and trainees, to policymakers and research funders.

chapter |12 pages

Working in the Field

Police research in theory and in practice

chapter |13 pages

Getting a Foot in the Closed Door

Practical advice for starting out in research into crime and policing issues

chapter |11 pages

Tip-Toeing through the Credibility Mine Field

Gaining social acceptance in policing research

chapter |11 pages

Organized Crime Research

Challenging assumptions and informing policy

chapter |14 pages

Practical Academics

Positive outcomes of police-researcher collaborations

chapter |11 pages

Politics, Promises and Problems

The rise and fall of the Swedish police Evaluation Unit

chapter |11 pages

An Inside Job

Managing mismatched expectations and unwanted findings when conducting police research as a police officer

chapter |12 pages

Police Research As Mastering the Tango

The dance and its meanings

chapter |12 pages

There Is Nothing So Theoretical As Good Practice

Police–researcher coproduction of place theory

chapter |12 pages

There is Nothing so Practical as a Good Theory

Teacher–learner relationships in applied research for policing