Networks

Digital policing and emerging technologies

Exploring how emerging technologies are transforming policing and public safety.

Artificial intelligence and data driven policing

Examining the opportunities, risks and ethical use of AI and data driven technologies in policing.

Cybercrime and online harms

Supporting research into cyber enabled crime, misinformation, online harms and digital threats.

Ethics, human rights and public trust

Promoting responsible innovation that balances technological advancement with privacy, accountability and public confidence.

Launching a new research network

The Digital Policing and Technological Harms Network was established to bring together researchers, practitioners and partners to address the opportunities and challenges presented by emerging technologies in policing.

Supporting innovative research

Working with Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority, the Network developed and delivered the SIPR Main Grant Call on Technological Innovation, Harm and Human Rights in Contemporary Policing Environments, awarding £40,000 to support two new research projects.

Building partnerships and priorities

During its first year, the Network focused on identifying key stakeholders across policing, academia, the public and private sectors, helping to shape a collaborative programme of research and engagement around the most pressing technological challenges.

Delivering a programme of network activity

The Network will establish an exciting programme of events, seminars and collaborative activities, bringing together researchers, practitioners and partners to address emerging challenges in digital policing.

Strengthening research and partnerships

Building on its first year, the Network will continue to grow its membership and strengthen relationships across policing, academia, the public and private sectors to support collaborative research and knowledge exchange.

Informing the future of digital policing

The Network will continue to develop high quality evidence to support the responsible use of emerging technologies, with a focus on artificial intelligence, cyber enabled crime, online harms and the ethical use of technology in policing.

Police Visibility

Discussed and commissioned research into police visibility as a distinct and challenging issue in contemporary policing. This included questions around what forms of visibility are beneficial, what may be counter-productive, and how operational pressures affect police visibility.

Policing for Our Communities

The shape and evolving form of the Policing for Our Communities programme remained a central theme throughout the year, as the pilot stage moved into the first stage of programme roll-out.

Social Cohesion, Tension and Disorder

Social cohesion, tension and disorder were a significant focus in light of events across the UK, particularly the relationship between localised disorder and online disinformation. This highlighted overlaps with the Digital Policing and Technological Harms Network and led to collaborative work around the subsequent social cohesion research call. The role of technology in policing's relationships and practices with communities also remains an important area for research.

Police Visibility Research Published

The police visibility report was published on the SIPR website during the year, with the lead authors presenting their findings at an online event hosted by the Police Community Network. The research highlighted the complexity of police visibility, with particular emphasis on tailoring and negotiating patterns of visibility appropriate to individual communities.

Policing for Our Communities Research Underway

The research call for Policing for Our Communities was launched and, following a strong field of applications, a team led by colleagues at Edinburgh Napier University was selected to take the project forward. A Project Advisory Group, drawing on several Police Community Network members, has been established and the research is now underway in two police divisions.

Community Cohesion Research Funded

Network members contributed to the development of a research call examining police strategies for maintaining community cohesion, countering disinformation and responding to attempts to stoke community tension. Following a strong range of bids, funding was extended to support two separate research projects.

Developing the Network Locally

Continue to develop the network so it can respond to central evidence requirements while creating opportunities for more locally focused events, recognising local research priorities and drawing out evidence of innovative and emerging best practice.

Public Confidence and Legitimacy

With continued resource constraints and increasingly diverse demands on police services, enhancing public confidence and legitimacy across different communities and populations remains a key challenge and an important research priority.

Evidence informed investigation

Supporting research that strengthens investigative practice, intelligence and the effective use of evidence across policing.

Forensic science and innovation

Advancing forensic science research to improve operational practice, decision making and public safety.

Research translation and impact

Connecting researchers and practitioners to ensure evidence is translated into policy, practice and operational improvements.

Collaboration and knowledge exchange

Building partnerships across academia, policing and the wider justice sector to address emerging challenges.

Supporting researcher wellbeing

The Network delivered a workshop on emotionally demanding research, bringing together researchers to explore approaches to maintaining wellbeing while undertaking challenging research. A SIPR briefing report was also produced to share learning and support researcher development.

Strengthening forensic science and investigative practice

The Network continued to support the Scottish Police Authority's Value of Forensic Science Working Group and brokered new collaborations between researchers and policing partners to address emerging challenges in investigation, decision making and forensic practice.

Driving research innovation and impact

The Network supported the development of new operational tools, including a structured professional judgement tool for missing persons, expanded international knowledge exchange, and helped secure a growing portfolio of PhD research aligned to policing and forensic priorities.

Expanding research collaboration

The Network will continue to strengthen partnerships across academia, policing and forensic services, identify new opportunities for knowledge exchange and support early career and postgraduate researchers across Scotland.

Advancing innovation in policing

Priority activity will include supporting new SIPR funded research into the use of Edge AI to enhance witness statement taking, continuing work with the Scottish Police Authority's Value of Forensic Science Working Group, and delivering a programme of research to practice webinars.

Supporting future research and impact

The Network will continue to translate research into policy and practice through national and international partnerships while encouraging policing practitioners to engage with SIPR Practitioner Fellowships and collaborative research opportunities.

Leadership and management development Supporting effective leadership and management across Scotland's policing workforce.

Leading change and culture development Helping policing organisations manage change and foster positive organisational cultures.

Career development and talent management Supporting attraction, retention, career progression and workforce capability.

Continuing professional development, education and training Strengthening learning, professional development and evidence informed training.

Evidence informed organisational development Completed a systematic literature review for Police Scotland's Learning, Training and Development team, providing recommendations to support strategic learning, leadership development pathways and organisational improvement.

International collaboration through RECPOL2 Supported Police Scotland's participation in the European RECPOL2 longitudinal research project, examining recruitment, career development, wellbeing and retention of police officers across several European countries.

RECPOL Recruitment, Education and Careers in the Police

Building practitioner research capacity Launched two Organisational Development Practitioner Fellowships focused on workforce modernisation, creating opportunities for policing practitioners to work alongside academic mentors on applied research.

Advancing organisational learning

The Network will continue to support evidence informed organisational development across policing, building on collaborative research that strengthens leadership, professional development and workforce capability.

Strengthening partnerships

A key priority will be delivering the Organisational Learning Challenge Event in partnership with the University of Glasgow and Police Scotland's Learning, Training and Development team. The event will explore organisational learning, knowledge management and corporate memory, helping policing to better capture, share and apply learning from experience.

Developing future research

The Network will continue to foster collaboration between researchers and practitioners, supporting opportunities such as Practitioner Fellowships and international research partnerships to address strategic workforce challenges across policing.

Fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and research translation

Crowdsourcing solutions to conceptual or methodological challenges

Navigating the opportunities, challenges, and everyday politics of academic life

Reducing the isolation often associated with doctoral research

Building social capital and practical experience

Professor Kirsteen Grant launched an ongoing series of fortnightly virtual writing retreats, providing dedicated writing time for researchers to progress their work and connect with colleagues in a supportive environment. To learn more and sign up, please follow this link.

SIPR funded socials across Glasgow, Dundee and Edinburgh, creating opportunities for PGRs from different institutions to connect outside formal academic settings. Feedback from these events highlighted the value of increasing awareness of SIPR's activities and opportunities among PGRs, while informing plans for more varied and activity-based social events.

SIPR hosted the International Summer School for Policing Scholars (ISSPS) 2026 at the University of Stirling. ISSPS is an international collaboration which, this year, brought 28 PGRs together with policing scholars and practitioners from across Britain, Sweden, Australia, and America. The programme provided opportunities to engage with a broad range of theoretical and methodological approaches, develop international networks, and reflect on how to work effectively with partners to deliver impactful research.

SIPR will explore opportunities to develop funded internships with policing partners. These are still under development and discussion, but it would be hoped that by providing research experience, transferable skills, and sector knowledge beyond academia, these placements will support PGRs' pursuit of academic and non-academic careers. They could also create opportunities for partner organisations to draw on research expertise to inform the evaluation of policing policies and practices.

We are keen to increase PGR awareness and uptake of SIPR opportunities - including research grants, funding for knowledge exchange and dissemination, and development opportunities. As part of this, we plan to work with member universities to remove barriers to PGRs acting as Principal Investigators on SIPR-funded projects. Alongside this, we will explore the adoption of the Contributor Roles Taxonomy within SIPR reporting to improve transparency and recognition of individual research contributions.

Building on feedback from recent PGR socials, the PGR Network will organise socials that bring PGRs together through non-academic workshops, training opportunities, and recreational activities. If you have ideas for future activities, please contact SIPR@napier.ac.uk.