Academic team: Dr Anja Schaefer, Dr Owain Smolović Jones
Policing partners: Police Service of Northern Ireland
Status: Complete
With all UK police forces currently in the process of implementing a new code of ethics, there is an opportunity available to deepen understanding about the possibilities and tensions that the introduction of a code of ethics in a police force generates. The project adopted a qualitative approach to data gathering and analysis, seeking to draw out the stories and accounts of officers who have worked with and under the code of ethics in PSNI.
In adopting a qualitative approach that emphasises the narratives of serving officers, we hoped to draw attention to important identity issues related to ethics and employment in policing that are not adequately covered in the existing evidence base, which largely draws on quantitative studies that seek to measure the impact and internalisation of codes.
| Title | Outputs type | Lead academic | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honouring the code? Exploring the ambiguities and antagonisms of ethical identities | Paper | Schaefer, A | 2016 |
| Of ethos, family and bureau: accounts of a code of ethics as symbol of an organisation's political re-legitmation | Paper | Schaefer, A | 2015 |
| Researching policing ethics | Presentation | Schaefer, A | 2015 |
| Bearing the burdens of the bureau: challenges and possibilities for the implementation of policing codes of ethics | Presentation | Schaefer, A | 2015 |
The UK Government’s Crime and Policing Act received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026, marking a significant development in the legislative response to crime and public safety.
The Act introduces a range of measures aimed at tackling retail crime, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour, alongside stronger penalties for violence against women and girls. It also includes provisions to address cyber-enabled crime and knife crime.