---
title: "Evidence-based policing"
chunk: 2/2
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evidence-based_policing"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T04:25:39.913830+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

== United States ==
EBP is acknowledged by some senior police leaders as a valuable approach to improve policing. The FBI Academy offers a course on EBP.
EBP has become the subject of debate in research journals, deliberating the extent to which policing should be guided by experimental criminology. There is a consensus that more needs to be done to bridge the 'translation gap' between frontline police officers and academics.
Academics from the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at George Mason University launched the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy in 2008. Their Evidence-Based Policing Matrix records, orders and rates scientific evaluations in policing and seeks to enable police departments to access and assess existing evidence.
In 2015, a group of working police officers and crime analysts formed the American Society of Evidence-Based Policing.  This organization was formed with the intent of educating police officers about the concept of EBP, advocating for the use of best available research to drive policing strategies and tactics, and facilitating the creation of new research findings by connecting researchers and practitioners.  Membership is open to all serving police officers, civilian staff members, researchers, and academics.  The first annual ASEBP conference was held on the campus of Arizona State University in Phoenix, Arizona on May 22 and 23, 2017, with conference attendees and panelists representing the United States, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom.

== Australia ==
The Australia & New Zealand Society of Evidence Based Policing (ANZSEBP) was formed in April 2013 in Brisbane, Australia. The ANZSEBP is a police practitioner-led Society. The mission of the ANZSEBP is to develop, disseminate and advocate for police to use scientific research (“the evidence”) to guide best practice in all aspects of policing. 
The Society comprises both full members (current, serving police officers in Australia and New Zealand) and honorary members including police staff members (non-sworn), research professionals and others who aim to make evidence-based approaches part of everyday policing in Australia and New Zealand.
The ANZSEBP held its inaugural conference at the Australian Institute of Police Management, Sydney, Australia in March 2015.  The Society was fortunate to secure Professor David Weisburd (George Mason University), Mr Peter Neyroud (Cambridge University), Professor Lorraine Mazerolle (University of Queensland), Chief Superintendent Alex Murray West Midlands Police (Chair of the UK SEBP) and Assistant Commissioner Peter Martin (Chair of the ANZ SEBP) to present at the conference.  Further to that six short shot presentations were made that highlighted experiments or research throughout Australasia.

== Canada ==
The Canadian Society of Evidence Based Policing (CAN-SEBP) was launched in April 2015 in Manchester, UK, as an affiliate of the UK-based Society of Evidence Based Policing, as well as ASEBP and ANZ-SEBP. CAN-SEBP is a collaborative effort between police practitioners and academic researchers aimed at generating actionable research to inform policy, practice, education and training in the field of public safety. Partners in the Society - who maintain executive-level steering and oversight functions - include representatives from several Canadian police forces and universities. Other agencies and researchers serve as active collaborators.    
CAN-SEBP's membership consists of active and retired police officers, civilian police members, applied policing researchers, graduate researchers and representatives from provincial, federal and municipal community safety groups.    
CAN-SEBP's international advisory group includes: Professor David Weisburd (George Mason University), Mr Peter Neyroud (Cambridge University), Professor Lorraine Mazerolle (University of Queensland), Chief Superintendent Alex Murray West Midlands Police (Chair of the UK SEBP) and Assistant Commissioner Peter Martin (Chair of the ANZ SEBP).

== New Zealand ==
In December 2017, a joint partnership between New Zealand Police, the University of Waikato, the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR), and Vodafone New Zealand established the New Zealand Evidence-Based Policing Centre (EBPC). Considered the first of its kind in the world, the centre is dedicated to supporting evidence-based policing research projects and experiments being run by New Zealand Police staff as well as academic researchers. The centre's "blueprint" was a finalist in the 2019 World Class Policing Awards. In March 2020, as part of New Zealand's civil emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the centre produced an evidence scan to inform NZ Police's response to COVID-19. Also, the Centre's Lambton Quay, Wellington, offices were repurposed as the All-Of-Government COVID-19 Operations Command Centre in 3 days, with the ability to house 70 operational staff from across the government sector. Under the leadership of out-going Police Commissioner Mike Bush, the operations centre opened on 23 March 2020.

== See also ==
Crime science
Evidence-based legislation
Evidence-based policy
Evidence-based practices
Peelian principles
Problem-oriented policing

== References ==

== External links ==
Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy
Experimental Criminology at University of Cambridge
Society of Evidence-Based Policing
Cambridge Centre for Evidence-Based Policing Ltd.
Canadian Society of Evidence-Based Policing