Agile Evidence Review Call 2025

Applications are open for NRiPN members for project grants on police culture and suicide prevention. 

Key Dates

Call Open 9 July 2025

Deadline for Expressions of Interest Midday, 31 July 2025

Funding Decision w/b 4 August 2025

Introduction

Funding is available to deliver two separate Agile Evidence Reviews (AER) on (1) Measuring, Tracking, and Assessing Cultural Change and (2) Suicide Prevention Measures for People Arrested or Under Investigation for Sexual Offences.

To apply to deliver an AER, please submit an Expression of Interest using the form below and an academic CV to N8 PRP project manager, helen.gordon-smith@manchester.ac.uk , by midday 31 July 2025.

Outline

Agile Evidence Reviews (AERs) are Project Grants available to members of the New Researchers in Policing Network (NRiPN).

Agile Evidence Reviews are short reports (approx. 10 pages) that will review the existing evidence available on a topic in academic publications and practitioner reports to provide an overview of current understanding of the topic. They will be conducted in consultation with a small team of N8 PRP practitioners and academics who have commissioned the AER. This will be used by the N8 PRP Northern Evidence Based Policing Hub to identify where practitioners can implement existing knowledge and where there are knowledge gaps to be addressed. The aims of AERs are:

1. toincreaseeffectivepoliceaccesstoresearch,
2. support NRiPN access to funding, and
3. support NRiPN opportunities to establish relationships and a track record with research partners.

Eligibility, Funding and Duration

Applicants must be a post graduate or early career researcher (as per the AHRC definition) at a university on the N8 PRP footprint, and a member of the of the N8 PRP New Researchers in Policing Network (NRiPN). For a full list of eligible universities and information on how to join NRiPN, please see https://www.n8prp.org.uk/home/support/new-researchers-in-policing-network/.

AERs will be funded at 100% staff costs. The duration and cost of an AER will depend on the scope of the AER and the cost of the staff time required. It is anticipated that awards will range from £2k-£10k, and will be delivered in 3-6 months. There is a budget of £50,000 available for AERs from 2024-2027.

How to Apply

Complete the Expression of Interest form and return to the N8 PRP project manager, helen.gordon-smith@manchester.ac.uk , by midday 31 July 2025. If you have any queries prior to application, please contact Helen on this email address.

Candidates are asked to nominate a preferred mentor who can provide supervision and guidance during the project. If you would prefer N8 PRP to nominate a mentor, please indicate this on the form.

Candidates will be notified of the decision the week beginning 4 August 2025.

Agile Evidence Review Proposals

Agile Evidence Review 1

Measuring, Tracking, and Assessing Cultural Change

The release of the National Policing Culture and Inclusion Strategy by the College of Policing will see an increasing focus by Forces on workplace ‘culture’ and more specifically culture change. A key aspect of this is to better understand how and when shifts in culture have been achieved. Forces also typically have annual staff surveys and seek to use measures within these to determine progress or otherwise with staff in respect of culture but some would argue questions to an individual about their perceptions, as well as the question sets themselves are not an effective means or methodology for measuring culture.

Simultaneously, Northumbria Police have also introduced a ‘culture’ index which focusses on various cultural issues or indices, namely:

1. Engagement (willingness to engage with the organisation). This covers compliance with PDR completion, annual objectives, absence rates, annual survey scores etc.,)
2. Time (indicators relating to a presenteeism or absenteeism culture). This covers TOIL, leave management.
3. Diversity (an indicator of our success around diversity and inclusion considerations). This covers leadership representation, equity ratios, retention rates, attraction rates etc.,)
4. Training (how engaged are we with training, learning and development culturally). Attendance and completion rates for learning and development related matters such as courses.

Key questions 

1. In what different ways is organisational culture measured (e.g. external audit of culture; staff surveys) and what are the strengths/weaknesses of these different approaches?

1. Are measures of culture effective ways of then informing and tracking cultural change?

1. What other ways (i.e. more qualitative and not through measurements) are there of assessing organisational culture?

Agile Evidence Review 2

Suicide Prevention Measures for People Arrested or Under Investigation for Sexual Offences

The aim of this project is to provide a brief high-level summary of the current understanding about suicide prevention in relation Individuals arrested or under investigation for sexual offences. This group is considered particularly vulnerable with an elevated risk of suicide. The earlier stages of the criminal justice process from the point of arrest through investigation and pretrial procedures is often marked by acute psychological distress, social stigma, and uncertainty, all of which can contribute to suicidal ideation or behaviour. 

The proposed review aims to draw together information about risk factors, for example, current and previous health status, stage of the criminal investigation, type of offence, media coverage and social circumstance and support network. The findings from the review will help to inform future officer training plans and the development of support services. Much of the previous research including systematic reviews and the development of support and rehabilitation services has largely focused on post conviction.  This agile review will inform the prioritisation of areas for future research.  

The objectives of the proposed rapid evidence review are to:

1. Define key terms and inclusion and exclusion criteria
2. Develop and implement a search strategy for published research
   1. UK based
   2. International
3. Develop and implement a search strategy for policy and practice documents.
4. Screen and categorise papers and documents.
5. Provide a thematic overview and summary of:
   1. Key psychological and situational risk factors for suicide among individuals under investigation for sexual offences.
   2. Information about suicide prevention measures in place during the pre-conviction phase in the UK.
   3. Examples of effective and innovative early intervention strategies that exist internationally.
   4. Potential sources of data for future research and evaluation.
   5. Gaps and the focus for potential policy and practice developments.

Documentation