ABSTRACT
Evidence-based policing is the use of the best available research on the outcomes of police work to implement guidelines and evaluate agencies, units, and officers. This chapter considers the main sources of research evidence available to support decision-making in the crime prevention field. It discusses four main sources of research evidence: practitioner reports, primary evaluation studies, systematic reviews, and reviews of reviews. The chapter focuses on a sample of systematic reviews of single crime prevention interventions and, using the EMMIE framework. It explores the extent to which the reviews adequately report information on the Effect of intervention, the Mechanisms through which interventions are believed to work, Moderators that may influence the impact of intervention, Implementation issues that may impede or facilitate the intervention, and the Economic costs of interventions. The chapter argues that increase the value of evidence reviews in support of crime prevention. It discusses some practical steps to increase the likelihood of future evidence reviews incorporating the features.
