Evidence-Based Policing
How does evidence-based policing best prevent violence – including through working with other organisations where the police are not the lead?
At the Youth Endowment Fund, our aim is to prevent children from becoming involved in violence. We believe that any effective strategy to reduce violence must acknowledge that children depend on seven key sectors for safety, this includes evidence-based policing. Within each sector, we collaborate with delivery organisations and system leaders to gain deeper insights and implement changes that are most promising in reducing violence.
Why are we focusing on policing?
Children who enter the criminal justice system are some of the most vulnerable children in society. Their offending will often mask underlying vulnerabilities including early childhood trauma and neglect, poor mental health, and growing up in poverty.
When children come into contact with the police, this is an opportunity to identify children who need support and to address these underlying causes of crime. Ensuring that vulnerable children get access to the support they need is likely to keep them safe from offending in the future.
A recent analysis of cases where a child has come to serious harm found that the police in the community were missing opportunities to identify vulnerabilities and keep children safe*. Inspection reports also suggest that, while police are improving at identifying and responding to signs of vulnerability in children, too many exploited children are criminalised.
Toolkit Evidence for Evidence-Based Policing
The YEF Toolkit outlines evidence-based approaches to reducing violence that are often used in the policing sector, including strategies linked to policing in the community. This supports police forces, commissioners, and local partners to identify and implement effective violence prevention strategies that keep young people and children safe and out of the justice system wherever possible.
This focus on research and real-world evaluation strengthens evidence-based policing across local areas. The Toolkit shows what works, and what may have limited impact or even risk causing harm, helping services make better-informed decisions.
Explore more approaches on YEF’s Toolkit summarising the best available research evidence on preventing children and young people’s involvement in violence.
Focused deterrence: most effective approach
There is strong evidence to indicate that the focused deterrence approach has a high impact on reducing violence when delivered through policing in the community. This intervention, also used within the youth justice sector, identifies people most likely to be involved in serious violence and supports them to change their behaviour through a combination of support and accountability.
Focused deterrence aims to set out the consequences of continued violence and the implications for individuals and the wider community. It offers guidance to young people who want to move away from offending and access support services such as education or employment pathways.
Within the policing sector, focused deterrence helps to build relationships between police and communities. This is to improve trust and the likelihood of sustained reductions in serious violence.
For focused deterrence to be most effective, it is fundamental that there is clear dialogue between the police and community partners, alongside genuine offers of support and a coordinated response to further offending.
This approach has the best impact when it is targeted at a small number of individuals or groups responsible for a disproportionate amount of serious violence.
Trends in violence for policing
We aim to simplify the complexity surrounding violence affecting children and young people in England and Wales. Our goal is to provide a clear account of whether the situation is improving or worsening, and to evaluate the performance of key sectors supporting these children and young people.
Beyond the Headlines reports on recorded crimes that were successfully investigated over the last 10 years.
Whole Area Model
A new approach to evidence-based diversion for children
The Whole Area Model (WAM) pilot from the Youth Endowment Fund helps reduce reoffending by supporting evidence-based youth diversion. Research shows that diverting children from the criminal justice system lowers the risk of future violence and offending.
Our partnership with the Society of Evidence-Based Policing
Discover how we’re working with the Society of Evidence-Based Policing (SEBP) to prevent children’s involvement in violence through evidence-based policing.
Find out how you can get involved with YEF
You are invited to join our events specifically for the policing sector, to see how we can collectively tackle violence prevention for young people.
FAQs
What best describes community policing?
Policing in the community involves officers continuously working within the same local area to build strong, long-term relationships and public trust. This approach focuses on problem-solving and collaboration with residents, education and local services, helping to prevent violence before it escalates rather than responding only after harm has occurred.
What is the role of the police in the community in preventing youth violence?
Police officers have a unique opportunity to identify risk early and play an integral role in safeguarding children and young people. Approaches in the community that emphasise early intervention and collaboration with other services are more effective than enforcement alone.
What is evidence-based policing?
Evidence-based policing means using research and data to decide which strategies are most likely to reduce youth violence. It involves testing interventions and measuring outcomes to identify which approaches work best in practice.
This is where the toolkit becomes an extremely valuable tool to support decision-making within policing and community safety partnerships. It gives clear summaries of the strength of evidence behind different approaches, helping leaders prioritise strategies that are most likely to reduce serious violence.
What is YEF doing to build more evidence?
To gain knowledge of what works, we are evaluating our funded projects in the policing sector, of which are listed below.