Here is the latest for July 2021
New research on County Lines
EMPAC is pleased to be promoting ongoing research by NTU doctoral researcher Barbie Nash. County Lines is a serious professional challenge, that has been well documented by Simon Harding in his 2020 book County Lines: exploitation and drug dealing among urban street gangs (Bristol University Press).
Barbie’s research builds on previous work by adding more insights into how partnerships can work together more holistically to prevent future exploitation of young people.
Main feature: new research investment
There are two external research grant bids underway to bring new research money into the region to improve policing via EMPAC. Such bids are highly competitive and require a lot of expertise and team work.
One bid focuses upon enhancing partnership based policing of mental health and the other is about tackling serious organised crime (SOC). The first bid, on taking a more health based approach (via the University of Northampton), is a bid to the National Institute Health Research (NIHR) and the second, on SOC, (via De Montfort University) to the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Both bids are live now and we anticipate updates by the Autumn of 2021.
We have already seen substantial investment into the region to tackle knife crime (via the University of Leicester) and improving detention facilities for the vulnerable (via the University of Nottingham), both funded by by the ESRC, so we hope that can add to that in improving policing around mental health and serious organised crime next.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
The four forces and OPCCs in Wales are looking to create a police academic collaboration based on the model developed, and sustained by, EMPAC. EMPAC itself took its original concept inspiration from the Scottish Institute for Policing Research (SIPR) so it’s nice to know that we now too are creating our own legacies! We send our very best wishes and luck to our colleagues in Wales in their venture.
Local research outputs
EMPAC have conducted research for Lincolnshire Police about lessons learned from policing COVID-19, and are also conducting some research now with Derbyshire Constabulary on innovation efficiencies to support the cost of policing exercise. If you would like some local research carrying out get in touch!
Ongoing workstreams
There is an ongoing workstream on Serious Organised Crime research. You can grab a full update here:- https://www.empac.org.uk/growing-momentum-in-tackling-serious-organised-crime/
There is an ongoing workstream on understanding and reducing demand, aligned to Force Management Statements (FMS), you can get an update here: – https://www.empac.org.uk/force-management-statement-understanding-demand-update/
There is an ongoing workstream around knife crime and violence reduction that is supporting our regional forces with Violence Reduction Units and those without, alike. You can get an update here: https://www.empac.org.uk/update-on-violence-reduction-research/
Resilience Forum Research
Dr Dan Sage, Dr Chris Zebrowski and Nina Jorden (Loughborough University) are leading on UK Cabinet Office funded research on Enhancing the use of Resilience Direct in the Covid-19 response: a comparative analysis of Local Resilience Forums.
Modern Slavery Vulnerability Regional Profile
Dr Ben Brewster, of the University of Nottingham’s Rights Lab, is working with Detective Inspector Steve Roberts to scope a new regional problem profile to tackle modern slavery and human trafficking. This issue was identified at a regional level as a core vulnerability concern and now stakeholders are being canvassed and research funding sought.
Netgraph: getting more sense out of data faster
EMPAC are exploring a cutting-edge agile data analysis tool called Netgraph that could really change the way data informs improved policing decision-making. Piloting has been underway in Derby – watch this space!
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