Panel Discussion: Challenging Traditional Thinking – EB in Policing
The final report of the Strategic Review of Policing in England and Wales was released earlier in the year by the Police Foundation. Seen as a landmark report into the future of policing, the report proposes the most ambitious reform in a generation. Although based on evidence from England and Wales, the report offers police globally over 56 recommendations that relate to reforming culture, skills and training and organisational structure. The report says that policing needs to adopt a learning culture, so that police officers have better opportunities to develop professionally, so that professional standards are raised and so that the police can use the best evidence to achieve better outcomes for the public. One recommendation calls for evidence based policing units to be implemented across police services to support and create a culture of evidence and learning, but is this enough? The panel discuss this report, its recommendations relating to evidence based policing and the importance of evidence in challenging traditional thinking in the context of building and maintaining legitimacy in policing.