Online seminar: Bridging research, practice and leadership in policing: Insights from CPRL Visiting Fellows Dr Iain Britton and Dr Anna Hopkins

This session will explore insights from CPRL Visiting Fellows on bridging research, practice and leadership in policing.

Dr Iain Britton – Developing an evidence-based approach to volunteer policing

Volunteering within policing occurs on a large scale, both in the UK and in many international contexts. It encompasses a wide range of roles, from volunteer police officers (such as the Special Constabulary in the UK) to various non-sworn volunteer positions within policing, youth volunteers (like the Volunteer Police Cadets), and numerous community-based volunteer roles outside of the police. Police volunteering generally receives little attention, either academically or in debates about police reform. Over the past decade, there has been a dedicated effort to change this. The aim is to build an evidence base and to better collate data on police volunteer programmes, to raise their strategic profile and to develop policy thinking for future volunteer models. This presentation examines how policing leaders and thinkers in the UK have engaged with these efforts to change the perception of volunteer policing and explores how we might most effectively advance this work in the future.

Dr Anna Hopkins – Prioritising violence against women and girls in Lancashire

Dr Anna Hopkins will discuss her work in VAWG to create safer and stronger communities for women and girls as the Chief Executive of the OPCC office in Lancashire. Dr Anna Hopkins will discuss how Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner is working to improve safety on public transport, supporting people affected by abuse, lobbying for better legislation, and working with partners across Lancashire and beyond to build a kinder and more confident community for everyone.