ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I offer some personal observations on how students and other academic researchers might improve their understanding of the problems that matter to law enforcement professionals, and of the contribution that academic research could make in these areas. A diverse range of research is carried out on issues of relevance to the police. Since 2003 the journal Police Practice and Research has published annual reviews of the policing research literature (Beckman et al., 2003, covering 2000; Beckman et al., 2004, covering 2001). The several hundred pieces of literature included in these reviews (335 and 424 published in 2000 and 2001 respectively) include articles and books from researchers in disciplines such as psychology, criminology, sociology, law and social policy. Topics of research range from occupational and organizational issues to police attitudes and citizen satisfaction to the development and use of new technology (Beckman et al., 2003; Beckman et al., 2004; see also Reiner, 2000, for an overview of the history and scope of police research). The present focus, however, is on the more specific contribution of psychology to supporting law enforcement investigative practice.
