N8 Policing Research Partnership
The N8 Policing Research Partnership is a collaboration between the N8 universities and 11 police forces in the North of England who work together to champion, enable, and support policing research and its impact
With a commitment to evidence-based policing and partnership working at its heart, the N8 Policing Research Partnership (N8 PRP) increases capacity for all partners through the production of shared knowledge and resources.
Through a joint governance structure and strategic investment in knowledge exchange, research, and professional development, N8 PRP develops resilient collaborative relationships that can access external research funding, direct resources to high-priority areas, and ensure findings are shared with a wide and influential network of policing practitioners, policy makers, researchers, and other stakeholders. This spans operational questions, such as how to investigate cryptocurrency, and broader questions of social justice, such as improving policing for black people.
N8 PRP was established in 2013 to develop a collaborative research network with regional police forces and establish the N8 universities as leaders in policing research. With 10 police forces from across the North initially joining the partnership, a series of workshops were held and rapid evidence reviews produced on areas identified as research priorities by the forces.
In 2015, Cheshire Constabulary joined N8 PRP and the partnership began delivery of a major 5 year £7.5m programme, co-funded by HEFCE (now the Office for Students) and the police and university partners. The programme had a total of 6 workstreams, focusing on Research, Innovation, Data Analytics, Knowledge Exchange, International Partnerships, and Training and Learning.
Key outputs from this stage of the partnership included establishment of the annual Policing Innovation Forum and Small Grants scheme, a staff exchange programme, a CPD programme for police data analysts and creation of a Data Analysis Digital Service for the secure sharing of data between partners, knowledge exchange and international partnership conferences, and a total of 7 funded PhDs and 4 Masters degrees.
Established in 2023, the Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre is a national centre which aims to reshape how the police and other organisations work together in order to reduce harm among vulnerable people in society. Emerging from the work and relationships forged through N8 PRP, and led by N8 members University of York and University of Leeds, the Centre is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and brings together 38 partners from across different sectors in the UK and beyond.
In 2020, N8 PRP embarked on a new phase of operation, built on the principles of co-governance and co-funding between the police and university partners, and focused on investing in collaborative policing research for the benefit of all parties. Recognising the on-going value of the collaboration, the partners agreed to extend this agreement for a further 3 years, starting from September 2024. The new phase will focus on driving transformational, evidence-based change in policing whilst addressing on-going structural challenges to collaboration and impact.
Recent outputs from the partnership include research into Violence Against Women and Girls in public places, with one project focusing on abuse experienced by women runners, and projects helping to tackle the scourge of knife crime, which includes looking at the role of imagery and messaging as a deterrent.
“The work of the N8 PRP is essential to the provision of good quality academic research that will help shape the future of policing and ultimately and most importantly, improve the service that we deliver to our communities.”
Serena Kennedy KPM, Chief Constable Merseyside Police