Evidence based policing (EBP) initiatives
Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request ref: 01/FIN/26/004454/E
Version Date: 10/04/2026
The Corporate Development Department has provided the following information:
Please could you provide the following:
1. Does the force have a formal process, system, or standardised format for internally sharing examples of evidence based policing (EBP) initiatives?
o This may include internal repositories, templates, portals, knowledge sharing platforms, case study formats, newsletters, or any other documented method used to disseminate EBP learning within the organisation.
Yes.
Dissertations, thesis and academic work is shared on our EBP & Innovation Hub Share Point page within our EBP Library and the authors are encouraged to share directly to force leads for correlating areas of work. Work shared in this library is usually post graduate level work.
Degree entry officers’ dissertations are shared in a separate Highly Recommended Dissertation Library if they have received a high grade or in the Student Dissertation Library for all other dissertations. Work shared in this library is undergraduate level work.
For live EBP projects, updates are shared via the EBP & Innovation Share Point, through various boards including Force Performance Board, Ops Delivery Board, Innovation Board and Learning & Development Boards. There is also a EBP & Innovation Newsletter which showcases work.
The force also has representation in the South West Society of Evidence Based Policing, and is linked nationally to the Society of Evidence Based Policing and the College of Policing “What Works” centre. Best practice and academic research is shared within Dorset to the appropriate leads and business areas.
- If such a format or system exists, in which year was it first introduced?
The EBP & Innovation Hub was introduced in 2024.
The degree entry Highly Recommended Dissertation Library & Student Dissertation Library was introduced in 2019.
- For each calendar year since its introduction, how many new entries, examples, case studies, or submissions have been added to this format/system?
The EBP Library had 14 thesis added in its first year 2024-2025. There have been no additions in 2026 to date (27/03/2026).
The degree entry Highly Recommended Dissertation library has had 2 additions in 2019, 13 in 2020, 6 in 2021, 14 in 2022, 1 in 2023, 0 in 2024, 0 in 2025, 0 in 2026.
The degree entry Dissertation Library has had 142 additions since its inception in 2019. No information is held for the yearly breakdown.