Police 'tactics' to be examined

Police Officer's day-today work will be closely examined by the country's top criminologists

Police officers will have their day-to-day work scrutinised as part of a tough new scheme to bring down crime.

On-the-job tactics will be closely examined by the UK’s top criminologists and scientists, who will study in detail how they handle certain situations, including offender management, domestic abuse and crime ‘hotspots’.

Greater Manchester Police will be the first in the country to try out the scheme, which, if successful, could be rolled out nationwide.

Teaming up with Cambridge University and the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), GMP will become the equivalent of a 'research hospital', allowing scientists and criminology experts to study in detail what officers do to tackle crime and police Greater Manchester.

GMP Chief Constable Peter Fahy said: "It is crucial to reassure the people of Greater Manchester that we are subject to independent oversight, and that our theories, operations and tactics are both value for money and effective in reducing crime.

"That is why I am pleased GMP is the first force in the UK to adopt these methods.

"This programme of field-testing what we do will give us concrete evidence of what works and what doesn't, so we can improve our decision-making.

“We should have nothing to fear from greater openness and accountability as this leads to greater public confidence in us having the tools we need to prevent crime and make the place safer.

"The medical profession has broken startling ground through clinical trials at universities and institutes, and if policing can be improved by following suit, then it will only benefit the communities we serve."

Lawrence Sherman, Director of the Jerry Lee Centre for Experimental Criminology at Cambridge, said: "No police department in the world has ever committed itself to following the clinical research model of a teaching hospital.

“This programme will rapidly produce essential randomised controlled trials that have never been conducted in UK policing."

NPIA Chief Constable Peter Neyroud added: "The National Policing Improvement Agency applauds GMP in creating this partnership.

“It is a prime example of how each local police agency can provide national leadership by contributing to a global knowledge base with the highest standards of reliable evidence."