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Policing Organisation and Practice (POP)

We are an interdisciplinary team with diverse expertise in contemporary policing.

Policing graduates standing on ceremonyBuilding on the 50-year history of The Open University, we design and deliver flexible and engaging blended learning curriculum that meets the needs of policing practitioners and organisations nationally and internationally.

The team are engaged in a wide range of research, scholarship and knowledge exchange activities working collaboratively with our police partners though the Centre for Policing Research and Learning.

About the team

Our team combine their police operational experience with their academic teaching and research experience in order to design teaching and assessment material that equip new police recruits with the skills and knowledge to apply their learning into their operational practice.

The team have worked for numerous police forces in England and Wales across the United Kingdom (including both home office and specialist forces), in a variety of operational and practitioner roles and policing capacities.

Operational experience

  • Domestic Abuse Units
  • Rape Investigation Units
  • Child Protection Units
  • Force Intelligence Bureau
  • Response policing
  • Neighbourhood policing
  • Critical Incidents
  • Investigations
  • Public Order

In addition to this operational experience, our team have a number of research interests and teaching expertise that ensure our teaching material is up-to-date with the latest developments in teaching approaches, as well as changes and debates within policing.

Teaching and research expertise

  • Developing critical thinking skills of students
  • Developing work-based learning modules for apprentices
  • The integration of virtual reality in police education
  • Violent crime and exploitation
  • Police response to stalking
  • Police welfare and mental health
  • Domestic abuse and victim engagement
  • Violence against women and girls
  • Evidence-based policing

If you want to read more about each team member, visit their profiles.

Find out more

We showcase a lot of our work through our POP Twitter Site and encourage you to visit, ask us questions and share our work. Our OU Policing blog shares insights, commentary and discussion on topics relating to policing events and issues.

Get in touch with POP