Bridging Operational Policing, Academia, and Community Intelligence

Solution Oriented Policing Group (SOPG)

Consultancy Page: https://www.dmu.ac.uk/business/consultancy/solution-oriented-policing-group/index.aspx

A New Framework for Police-Academic Collaboration

Our approach is based on a Solution-Oriented Practice (SoP) lens, which shifts from asking “what’s wrong?” to “what does good look like?”. Drawing on Deming’s 14 key principles for management, this workstream positions policing as a collaborative endeavour that focuses on building futures where root causes for crimes are treated rather than police being conditioned to perpetually fix problems.

Building a Pracademic Community

We have established a Police Collaboration Network, a community of practice of 60 ‘pracademics’ including researchers, serving officers, and policy professionals who work at the intersection of policing and academia. This network is designed around rapid mobilization of expertise to inform policing practice, policy development, and institutional reform. We held events including the East Midlands Police Collaboration Sandpit and the SEBP Midlands Conference on innovations in policing-academic collaboration, to create sustainable infrastructure for knowledge exchange that benefits both research and operational policing.

Advancing International Ethical Policing

Our ambition extends beyond the UK to pioneer international ethical policing education grounded in UN values and Principles for Responsible Management Education. We are developing curriculum, conducting research on contemporary ethical challenges including AI use and surveillance, and building partnerships with police forces across multiple countries. We thus aim to become a global hub for ethical policing research and professional development.

Demonstrable Impact

Our policing work has achieved recognition. We presented four DMU projects at the SEBP Midlands Conference attended by more than 120 delegates from 20 police forces & institutions and 13 universities. Our research on community engagement, equality and diversity, and operational challenges is informing practice and contributing to national conversations about the future of policing.

Links:

PhD Scholarship on Police-Community Co-Creation: Combatting social injustice through co-creating safer futures between communities and police in Leicestershire & Rutland – Collaboratory Research Hub

SEBP Midlands Conference: DMU conference on the future of policing outlines university’s commitment to public sector partnerships

EMPAC Sandpit: Transforming police and academic collaboration through critical dialogue

Police Oracle Interview on Police Collaboration: ‘Academics still don’t trust police, and police don’t trust academics – a solution will come’ – Police Oracle

Get Involved

Whether you are a researcher with expertise relevant to policing challenges, a serving officer interested in evidence-informed practice, or a policy professional working at the intersection of policing and public safety, we invite you to join our growing pracademic community.

Contact: policyunit@dmu.ac.uk