The Yorkshire Policing Academic Centre of Excellence (TYP-ACE) combines multi-disciplinary research and innovation from the University of Leeds and the University of York to equip police and partners across the UK with the best research evidence available to drive forward a culture change in policing.
TYP-ACE is one of nine Policing Academic Centres of Excellence (P-ACEs) funded by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) in partnership with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Each P-ACE is promoted across the policing sector as an accessible source of leading academic experts aligned with Policing’s Areas of Research Interest (ARIs) and evidence needs.
TYP-ACE acts as a vital link between academics and UK police, making sure that policing is guided by the latest scientific evidence. By working in partnership, TYP-ACE enables leading researchers across the universities of Leeds and York to innovate and challenge existing practices to improve public safety. It provides national and international leadership in some of the most pressing issues in policing, including crime prevention, public trust, analytics and climate change.
By using high-quality social science with data analysis and expertise from other disciplines across both institutions, the Centre helps policing prepare for future challenges, including workforce and training needs. It also advances a better understanding of what works, where, for whom, and under what circumstances.
TYP-ACE builds upon the success of the ESRC Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre in its work to embed preventative and problem-solving approaches as a key part of policing, as well as the internationally renowned work of existing centres of excellence across both institutions, including the Leeds Institute for Data Analytics (LIDA) and Priestley Centre for Climate Futures at Leeds and the York Environmental Sustainability Institute (YESI) and Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at York.
The team
TYP-ACE is led by Professor Dan Birks (University of Leeds) and Professor Adam Crawford (University of York), who have international reputations in delivering innovations in policing research.
The team also includes four Areas of Research Interest (ARI) leads from the University of Leeds and University of York, who lead each of TYP-ACE’s areas of research interest.
These are:
Crime Prevention lead: Dr Anna Barker (University of Leeds)
Data Analytics lead: Dr Toby Davies (University of Leeds)
Public Trust lead: Dr Nadia Jessop (University of York)
Climate Change lead: Dr Ali Malik (University of Leeds)
We have an enabling consultant for the centre, Ngaire Waine, ex-Chief Superintendent for Merseyside Police with over 30 years of policing experience, she served as the Policing Director of the N8 Policing Research Partnership from 2020-24. Ngaire will be supporting the team in numerous ways and will provide a trusted and influential voice connecting academic insight with frontline policing.
The team is supported by the Project Manager Eleri Pound.
For more information please email [email protected]