Police officer and civilian staff receptivity to research and evidence-based policing in the UK: providing a contextual understanding through qualitative interviews

This paper provides a contextual understanding of police officer and civilian staff receptivity to research and evidence-based policing (EBP) in England through presentation of findings from qualitative interviews. It focuses on: 1) how officers defined the concept of EBP; 2) the context driving these definitions (including political pressures, professionalisation and the rise of police-academic collaborations); 3) what research means to police officers in terms of ‘hierarchies’ and a ‘ladder of evidence’ and 4) how success and ‘what works’ is measured (including academic versus practitioner definitions). It is argued that future studies of police officer and civilian staff receptivity to research and EBP are crucial as receptivity influences the application of research and willingness to incorporate an evidence-base into policing practice. Data is presented from 15 semi-structured interviews with police officers and civilian staff from police forces in England.