OU COVID-19 fund finances policing project

An OU COVID-19 grant has been given to a project to research senior policing decision-making in the context of the radical uncertainties of the pandemic.

Led by Professor Mark Fenton-O’Creevy in the Department of People and Organisations in the OU’s Faculty of Business and Law, the project has received £15,700 to conduct case studies in two UK police forces.

The nine-month project will capture interview and archival data at a time when the crisis is still ongoing, and during a period of active early reflection and sensemaking.

The content will provide a bank of information that can be drawn on to allow decision-makers to decide which strategies and actions worked during this time of radical uncertainty.

Professor Fenton-O’Creevy said: “The project has the potential for valuable impact on deliberations in policing organisations and national conversations about the organisation of policing, supporting learning from the crisis.”

Drawing on the Open University Centre for Policing Research and Learning (CPRL) network of 22 policing organisations and connections with the College of Policing and National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), Professor Fenton-O’Creevy and Dr Nicky Miller, Co-Investigator, will embed impact throughout the project through joint sensemaking about emerging findings with the participating organisations and the wider network.

The research also presents a good opportunity to deepen relationships with senior policing figures in the UK and will continue to position CPRL at the heart of debates about the future of policing.