2.08 Systems Thinking and Complexity Science for Policing

Academic team: Prof Jeffery Johnson, Prof Joyce Fortune, Dr Jane Bromley, Phil Davies
Policing partners: Greater Manchester Police, National Crime Agency, Dorset Police, Thames Valley Police, Metropolitan Police Service, Lancashire Police, Gwent Police, Merseyside Police
Status: Complete

This action research project introduced police officers and staff to the basic ideas of systems thinking and complexity science, and enabled them to develop a practical understanding of the theory by applying it to real problems from their professional experience.

Individuals and groups engaged in criminal activity form many intertwined networks whose emergent dynamic behaviour can be very complicated and unpredictable. Yet even in this complexity there are dynamic patterns that can be recognised to inform action and policy, and by using a complex systems approach implicit knowledge can be formalised into models to make the patterns clearer and their detection more reliable. The project:

  • gave hands-on experience of using the ideas in practical policing
  • developed simple gaming systems to allow interactive explorations
  • explored hands-on how Big Data can be used by teams in policing organised workshops with teams developing and using computer models to identify areas for further investigation and research.

Outputs

TitleOutputs typeLead academicYear
Multilevel systems and policyBook sectionJohnson, J2018
Systems thinking and complexity science for policingExecutive summaryJohnson, J2017
Global systems science and policyBook sectionDum, R2017
An application of systems thinking to the process used to collect, store and use information to fight organised crimeWorking paperFortune, J2017
Systems, networks and policyBook sectionJohnson, J2017
Open questions in multidimensional multilevel network scienceConference paperJohnson, J2017
Hypernetworks: multidimensional relationships in multilevel systemsJournal articleJohnson, J2016
Embracing n-ary relations in network scienceBook sectionJohnson, J2016

News

Dr Kendal Wright and Dr Keely Duddin present research on maternity bias and stigma at the IRSPM conference

On 09 April, Kendal Wright and Dr Keely Duddin from the policing team and co-leads on a Parental Pathways research project, presented at the International Research Society for Public Management (IRSPM) conference.

29th May 2025