This Trends and Issues paper argues that the time is now right for a more intimate relationship between practitioners and researchers in general, and the police and researchers in particular. The growing emphasis on reducing crime—an outcome focus—highlights the need for an evidence base to crime reduction practices.
Some examples are provided of what research might have to offer Australian police services in the area of police problem-solving. The paper also stresses the importance of being clear on the “mechanism” through which any initiative might be expected to exert its effect. This is a particularly important point if the many new ideas being introduced are to be effectively evaluated and thus contribute to our growing knowledge base.
This paper is in part abstracted from a fellowship report prepared for the United States’ National Institute of Justice (NIJ) on the relationship between research, policy and practice (or perhaps more accurately, the lack of it). The report to NIJ was based on more than 30 years of frustration on the part of the author in trying to get policymakers and practitioners in the United Kingdom to pay more attention to research. It was also based on research literature and on many conversations with academics and police practitioners.