ABSTRACT
The increasing importance placed on evidence-based decision-making in twenty-first-century policing provided the catalyst for the creation of the New Zealand Evidence-Based Policing Centre (EBPC). The EBPC in Wellington was established to fully enable the organization to deliver better policing services. The New Zealand EBPC commenced operation in early 2017 with three key establishment partners: a leading New Zealand university, a Crown Research Institute, and a strategic technology partner. Fifty-four multidisciplinary positions were established in the EBPC to support and enable New Zealand Police in improving the targeting of community and crime problems, testing new and existing practices, and tracking the impact on outcomes. The desire across New Zealand Police to use robust research, generated through the EBPC, has been extremely positive. There were challenges within the first year of operation that needed careful navigation to ensure the EBPC maintained its reputation and momentum in embedding a culture of innovation, learning, and continuous improvements of police strategy and tactics. The natural tension in bridging the divide between academia and policing has also been experienced in New Zealand, but the creation of the EBPC demonstrated that this can be overcome. Building strong partnerships, investing and resourcing a research capability within the police, and a focus on delivering mutually beneficial strategic goals with community safety at its heart, is enabling the transition toward New Zealand Police delivering an evidence-based service for all communities.
