Working with Durham police to benefit local communities

25 July 2024

Durham news

Three women seated at table, signing a document

We have signed an agreement with Durham Constabulary and the Durham Police and Crime Commissioner to work together for the benefit of local communities.

We already work together to promote safety and the economic development of our area. Our research is informing policy, and we work together on training and professional development.

Further collaboration

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) we have signed formalises the relationship and will lead to further collaboration, including on joint projects, the introduction of new technologies, and further areas of research.

Durham Constabulary is keen to strengthen its work with Durham University to build on the trust and confidence in our communities. We are relentlessly pursuing criminals and preventing crime and anti-social behaviour. My team of dedicated officers and staff are working together to deliver for the people of County Durham and Darlington. Partners like Durham University can only enhance this work and help not only with crime prevention and problem-solving but provide vital support and welfare to our teams. The Memorandum of Understanding will provide greater opportunities between our organisations to take further steps forward.

Rachel Bacon

Chief Constable, Durham Constabulary

Durham University’s work has already enhanced our understanding and approach to many areas of crime and policing, both locally and nationally, including gender-based violence and staff wellbeing. We are fortunate to have built strong and fruitful relationships with the institution and are utilising the ground-breaking research undertaken to improve safety for those who live and work in County Durham and Darlington and beyond. This MoU outlines our commitment to continuing the good work and identifying further areas of study to improve safety for our communities and the effectiveness of crime investigation while embracing all the advances modern technology has to offer policing.

Joy Allen

Durham Police and Crime Commissioner

Placing our existing strong relationships with Durham Constabulary and the Office of the Durham Police and Crime Commissioner on this more formal footing means we can do more together to benefit our communities and neighbourhoods. We are already working well together for the safety and economic development of our area, informed by our research in areas including domestic abuse, violence and online harm, and in training and development. This Memorandum of Understanding will spur us to go even further, including in computer science, data management, and exploring the potential of AI, for the benefit of the people of our city, county and region.

Professor Karen O'Brien

Vice-Chancellor

Examples of our research informing police policy include:

Professor Nicole Westmarland, from our Department of Sociology and Director of the Durham Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse (CRiVA), is working with Durham Constabulary and the College of Policing to investigate whether forensic marking devices can reduce domestic abuse, make victims feel safer and have more freedom, increase trust and confidence in policing, and bring more perpetrators to justice.

Professor Les Graham, from Durham University Business School, undertook research exploring policing staff wellbeing, involving all 43 police forces in England and Wales, which has informed working practices, procedures and policies.

Professor Stacey Pope, from our Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences, is an expert on the experience and safety of women at football matches. She is co-designing a project between Durham University and police forces that will bring together academic research on women fans with expertise in match day policing to develop evidence-based solutions to tackle gendered violence and abuse in men’s football to create safe, welcoming and inclusive spaces for women fans.

Find out more

- Find out more about the work of Professor Nicole Westmarland, Professor Les Graham and Professor Stacey Pope.
- Read about some of our other local partnerships - with Durham County Council and the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust.

Three women chatting while seated at a table, signing a document

Durham Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen, Durham Constabulary Chief Constable Rachel Bacon and Professor Karen O'Brien, our Vice-Chancellor

Men and women stood on a balcony, with Durham Cathedral in the distance behind them

Staff from Durham University, Durham Constabulary and the Durham Police and Crime Commissioner's Office