Start with the people involved.
Police officers and staff, researchers, partners and communities identify important problems and judge whether a response is useful, workable and fair.
About the Society
About the Society of Evidence Based Policing
People, practice and evidence—working together. SEBP is a grassroots UK charitable incorporated organisation helping people improve policing for the public through the use, production and communication of the best available evidence.
- Since 2012
- Building a practical movement
- UK CIO · 1215875
- Registered with the Charity Commission
- Open to all
- Practitioners, researchers, partners and the public
01
What is EBP?
What is EBP?
Make better decisions using the best available evidence.
Evidence-based policing is about making better decisions using the best available evidence. It combines research, data, professional experience, and community needs to help policing achieve better outcomes. Rather than relying on habit or assumptions, it asks: what is most likely to work, and how do we know?
Evidence-based policing can be applied across everything from crime prevention and investigations to leadership, policy, training, and organisational change.
It is not a rulebook.
Research is often incomplete, contested, or still developing. Being evidence-based means using the best available evidence to inform decisions, alongside professional judgement and local context.
The whole picture
People. Practice. Evidence.
Good evidence becomes useful through the people who shape it and the settings in which it is applied.
Test ideas in the real world.
Implementation matters. SEBP encourages clear outcomes, proportionate evaluation and honest learning when context changes what is possible.
Use more than one kind of knowledge.
Research, local data and professional experience are considered together, with the strengths and limits of each made visible.
Our mission
Improve policing for the public.
SEBP exists to make evidence a normal, practical part of how policing learns and decides. Three enduring goals guide the organisation.
- 01
Use
Promote the use of best available research evidence to solve policing problems.
- 02
Produce
Support the production of new research evidence by police practitioners and researchers.
- 03
Communicate
Lead the communication of research evidence to police practitioners and the public.
The Society
Who are we?
The Society of Evidence Based Policing (SEBP) was founded in the United Kingdom in 2012. We are an independent charitable incorporated organisation dedicated to embedding evidence-based approaches in policing.
The SEBP emerged from a simple but powerful belief: that policing decisions should be informed by the best available evidence, just as medicine transformed itself through rigorous research and testing. We are a member-led organisation that brings together police officers, staff, researchers, and citizens who share a commitment to improving public safety through evidence.
Membership of the society is open to anyone who is committed to making a positive impact in the community through the use of evidence-based approaches.
Our core aims
- Promote the use of best available research evidence to solve policing problems.
We work directly with forces to translate research into practice. This means helping officers and leaders understand and apply evidence in their daily work, from neighbourhood policing to serious crime investigation. We provide tools, guidance and support to ensure that proven approaches are implemented effectively, while challenging practices that lack evidential support.
- Support the production of new research evidence by police practitioners and researchers.
The best evidence often comes from within policing itself. We empower officers and staff to become researcher-practitioners, conducting their own studies and trials. Through our network, mentoring programmes and partnerships with academic institutions, we're building a culture where testing and learning are core parts of police professionalism. We particularly focus on addressing evidence gaps in areas critical to UK policing.
- Lead the communication of research evidence to police practitioners and the public.
Evidence is only powerful when it's understood and used. We bridge the gap between academic research and operational policing through clear, accessible communication. Our Members' Hub, events, publications and digital channels ensure that vital findings reach those who need them – from frontline officers to police leaders to community members. We translate complex research into practical insights that drive real-world change.
Our governance & structure
We are a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO). This means we are a registered charity with our own legal identity, allowing us to enter contracts and employ staff in our own name, while our trustees normally have limited liability. The charity is overseen by a Board of Trustees who are responsible for governance and strategic oversight. Day-to-day operations are delegated to the executive team.
As a CIO, we are regulated by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Our governing document sets out our constitution, charitable objects, and how we operate. We file annual reports and accounts with the Charity Commission to maintain transparency and accountability.
Our independence & values
As an independent charitable incorporated organisation, we operate without political bias or vested interests. We're not tied to any single force, supplier, or approach. This independence allows us to:
- Advocate for what the evidence shows, even when it challenges conventional wisdom
- Support all forces equally, regardless of size or resources
- Maintain credibility with practitioners, researchers and the public
- Focus solely on what improves public safety and police effectiveness
People behind the work
A volunteer network across policing, academia and beyond.Our people
A community, not an institution speaking at people.
Trustees provide governance, the Executive Committee delivers SEBP’s strategy and regional co-ordinators connect evidence-based practice across the UK. Volunteers are at the heart of the work.
- Practitioners bringing live operational questions
- Researchers helping design and interpret studies
- Regional teams connecting people and sharing learning
- Partners supporting events, resources and new evidence
Get involved
Bring your experience to the Society.
Membership is open to anyone committed to improving policing through evidence. You can learn, volunteer, collaborate, attend events or support the charity.
Working together
Our partners & supporters
Organisations supporting SEBP’s work to make useful evidence easier to access and apply.
Approved partner marksCurrent supportersAcademic partnersPolicing partners
Prototype placement only. Production names and logos will remain those approved by SEBP.
Get in touch
Contact SEBP
For general enquiries, email info@sebp.police.uk. For local enquiries, use the regional contact network.