ABSTRACT
The chapter critically reflects on Evidence-Based Policing in terms of democratic governance and accountability. Sherman (2013) clearly outlines that the development of EBP has significant implications for the operational conduct of policing as it adopts the ‘triple-T’ principles of: target police activity, test the impact and track the long-term effect of particular types of intervention. The discourse of science, evidence and research has the potential to improve police responses but might also be in tension with public expectation and the democratic mandates and agendas of PCCs and other oversight agencies. It is argued that previous efforts to professionalise policing came to be regarded as contrary to principles of community policing, and EBP has similar risks.
