Policing, vulnerability and community resilience in response to the climate crisis

Climate change poses significant challenges for policing, including managing the impacts of extreme weather events on vulnerable communities, combating complex environmental crimes and addressing social disruptions such as protests and climate activism. While these issues are generally acknowledged at a national strategic level, as evidenced by the UK’s National Adaptation Programme, the implementation of national strategies into operational policing, preparedness, and capacity-building at a local level remains unclear.

This report outlines findings from a project that aimed to address these knowledge gaps by focusing on the role of both the police and Local Resilience Forums (LRFs), which serve as the UK’s primary response to complex disasters and emergencies, functioning as multi-agency partnerships involving the police, emergency first responders, and various local and national agencies.