ABSTRACT

Evidence-based practice has a high profile in medicine and associated professions, and, more recently, in policy-making and policing. In this chapter, we argue that this model has limitations in the crime prevention context. Eck 1 suggests that problem-oriented policing is a more useful approach. This, too, has its problems, in that there is an insufficient focus in the literature on how to engage with the communities, which is integral to the success of the problem-oriented process. We outline how an action-research approach can overcome these limitations and offer examples of the outcomes of taking this approach. Finally, we suggest how police managers might use communities of practice to foster the development of action-research projects in crime prevention.