Research co-production and knowledge mobilisation in policing

This chapter argues for a transformation in the relations between researchers and police partners in the co-production of knowledge to inform policing strategies and practices. In contrast to certain dominant models of Evidence Based Policing, co-production affords a different understanding of the generation, mobilisation and application of knowledge. It requires a fundamental refiguring of both the way researchers engage with police partners and the place and value of knowledge, data and evidence within policing. The attributes and challenges of co-production are explored and analysed drawing on experiences from existing police-university collaborations. It highlights the significant hurdles that need to be negotiated to realise the necessary structural and organisational change that co-production demands. Co-production embraces a plurality of sources of data and raises questions about the nature of power relations between partners and the dangers of collusion. The chapter advances a vision of the division of labour that is structured around the ‘independent interdependence’ of researchers and practitioners.