About the Centre

The Centre exists to create and use knowledge through both research and education to improve policing for the public good. In this way, the Centre contributes to the work of police agencies as they adapt to a changing policing landscape, with its greater emphasis on evidence-based practice.  The programme of work includes:

The Centre is based in the Faculty of Business and Law and is also supported by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, though it works with all faculties and areas of the University.

Some activities of the Centre are open to all police officers and staff, working in the spirit of The Open University (to be open to people, places, methods and ideas). However, the Centre also works in a highly collaborative way with a partnership of 20 police forces, which help to shape and undertake the programme of activities.

Meet the team Policing Partners

The Centre's work

The Centre focuses its activities around the following key areas.

Learning and education

The Centre offers a wide range of educational courses and qualifications. Open Educational Resources (OER) are free, informal short courses available on the internet (e.g. on a laptop, tablet or smartphone) which can provide police officers and staff with informal learning and/or with continuing professional development.

There are also more formal learning opportunities such as:

• Studying for policing relevant degrees and management degrees or other related qualifications which can be studied alongside work commitments.
• A Postgraduate Certificate in Evidence Based Practice, designed in consultation with partner police forces, specifically for police officers and staff.
• Opportunities to officers and staff employed by one of the policing partner organisations to undertake part-time PhDs.

Research

The Centre research is based on a genuinely collaborative working relationship, bringing together the key knowledge, skills and experience of academics with those of police practitioners in a co-research approach. This collaboration is valuable in identifying and analysing problems in order to improve policing. Research projects can come from a range of sources; police policy makers and practitioners may identify real-life, operational or organisational issues to research, or academics may suggest topics which will benefit from practical research. Select this link to find out about our research themes.

Knowledge into practice

The Centre is concerned not only with creating new knowledge but also testing and exploring whether, when, how and why it works in practice. So the Centre has a range of innovative activities designed to maximise learning between members of the police, between police organisations, and between the police and academics. Select this link to find out more about the projects: Knowledge into practice.

Annual Report

The Centre for Policing Research and Learning's Annual Report is a record of the programme of work, the activities, outputs and achievements over the past year. With more than 80 OU academics working closely and collaboratively with 20 UK police agencies, the collaboration has a lively and ambitious programme concerned with education, research and knowledge into practice. The report gives some examples of the Centre's work in each area. Many of the activities and outputs of the Centre are free to use by any police agency or police individual (e.g. Open educational resources to support CPD and conferences) while the police agency partners have privileged access to design, shape and participate in the whole programme of work. 

Select this link to view the latest annual report: CPRL Annual Report 2023.

About the partnership

Representatives from all police agency partners and chaired by the police - jointly decides on the programme of work on education, research and knowledge exchange to embed research evidence in daily practice. The multiplier effect of the membership is considerable: activities and outcomes benefit all partners and the partnership also gain from a variety of sources, grants and funding.