Modern policing is faced with a rapidly changing landscape which continues to present new challenges and opportunities to policing (NPCC, 2015). With limited resources, it is hoped policing education will support police services to deal with these challenges through embedding evidence-based practices (Mitchell and Lewis, 2017). The large number of new recruits from the police uplift provides an exciting opportunity to incorporate these practices into operational policing (Lum and Koper, 2017; Pepper et al., 2020). The purpose of this study was to investigate evidence-based research projects produced by student police officers and explore whether they provide knowledge that is relevant and embedded into policing practice. Using qualitative methods data was gathered from key informants and graduates from the University of South Wales' five established police partners in England and Wales. The findings identified that knowledge from the projects was being disseminated within the police organisations, and that student police officers were informally applying evidence-based knowledge they had gained from their research projects in their day-to-day operational policing roles, and some were transferring this knowledge as tutors and supervisors. This study concluded that research projects produced by student officers can have a direct impact and contribution to policing practice and policy. However, to capitalise on this opportunity police services would benefit from developing formalised processes to embed this knowledge into practice.
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