07 May 2025
NPCC, in partnership with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), have funded £4.5 million to launch nine Policing Academic Centres of Excellence (P-ACEs) in October 2025.
Working closely with Forces, the P-ACEs will drive collaboration among academia and policing. They will ensure that policing is shaped by the latest and best scientific expertise, and that the UK’s leading researchers are able to challenge and innovate in partnership with policing as together we strive to improve public safety.
Each Policing Academic Centre of Excellence will be 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. The P-ACEs will support policing with adopting new technologies, developing new tools and techniques, improving training and skills, and increasing public safety.
Professor Paul Taylor, Police Chief Scientific Adviser, said:
“Academia and policing have a long history of collaborative working on issues as diverse as forensic science, crime prevention, and analytical technologies. The P-ACEs will fortify this connection, providing a focal point for research and knowledge exchange.
I’m particularly excited about what the P-ACEs can bring to early career scientists who are interested in tackling the complex challenge of keeping the UK public safe. The P-ACE community will, I hope, provide them more opportunities and greater support as we look to forge deep and lasting partnerships over the next decade.”
Stian Westlake, Executive Chair of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), said:
“The Policing Academic Centres of Excellence will forge closer relationships between police forces and researchers, providing the police with data and evidence to make the justice system work better. By bringing experts in policing practice together with social scientists and data scientists across the country, the centres will provide knowledge and insights to drive service improvement. These centres of excellence demonstrate our commitment to reducing crime and making Britain a safer place.”
The two key functions of the P-ACEs are to:
The following universities have been selected to be P-ACEs:
For updates about the P-ACEs visit: Policing Academic Centres of Excellence
Communications office
By phone: 0800 538 5058
By email: press.office@npcc.police.uk