Impact case study database

Our research has increased the knowledge and skills of Government, police and other organisations. This impact has helped reduce ‘public disorder’ and community tensions as well as lowering demand on police resources, whilst also increasing public safety and police legitimacy. This has been achieved primarily by helping several external organisations, including the UK Home Office and several police forces, enhance their understanding of the dynamics of police citizen encounters, particularly in the context of crowds and mass emergencies. Our research has influenced:

• The curriculum and training delivered by the U.K.’s College of Policing National Police Public Order Command Training, as well as that of the European Union Advisory Mission to Ukraine regarding the policing of crowds.

• The strategy and tactics of several UK police forces and stadium safety officials toward the management of conflict during football crowd events, including the architectural design of the ‘bet365 stadium’, home of Stoke City F.C.

• The inquiry of the Hong Kong Independent Police Complaints Council into the policing of protests in the Special Administrative Region.

• UK Government policies as well as police force strategies and tactics toward the policing of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Impact of Police Knowledge and Training

KPAC’s research has had significant impacts upon police training at a national and international level. Through our pathways to impact [5.1] our research has been disseminated to representatives of the UK’s College of Policing who subsequently changed the national curriculum for the training of police public order commanders. The redesigned course was mandatory for all police public order commanders and advisors in the U.K., who number more than 2500 across all forces and was delivered between October 2019 and April 2020 [5.2]. Additionally, KPAC’s research was utilised by the Swedish Police International Affairs Division for their ‘Support to Police Reform in Ukraine’ project (SPRU). The SPRU subsequently evolved into the European Union’s Advisory Mission to Ukraine (EUAM). Since early 2016, EUAM has provided operational guidance and training activities to assist the implementation of democratic police reforms in Ukraine. KPAC’s research was used to inform and support guidance and training for public order police [5.3]. Finally, KPAC’s research-based expertise influenced the production of a report into the policing of the 2019 protests in Hong Kong. Although this advice was never properly realised due to political factors, based on our involvement, the Hong Kong Independent Police Complaints Council recognised a need to improve its capacity to produce an impartial, balanced and evidence-based report [5.4].

Impact on Policing Policy and Practice

As a result of engagement with KPAC’s research, England’s third (West Midlands Police, WMP) and fourth (West Yorkshire Police, WYP) largest police forces recognised their ways of policing football were problematic. There were limitations identified in their (a) strategic approach in terms of facilitating positive human rights (e.g., peaceful assembly and expression); (b) understanding of the role of intergroup interactions and dynamics in assessing the threats and risks that can develop during crowd events; and (c) low level of police engagement with fans through communication and dialogue. Piloting of innovations based upon KPAC’s research took place across several fixtures and were systematically evaluated [5.5, 5.6]. These novel policing approaches, and their underlying research rationale, were disseminated via specifically designed training events for police commanders, supported at Chief Officer level. The innovative approaches were subsequently implemented at several high-profile football events. This had the acknowledged effect of facilitating rights, improving the experience of policing among fans, de-escalating conflict, enhancing public safety, and achieving significant cost-savings for the taxpayer [5.7, 5.8]. In addition, Stoke City Football Club used Keele research findings during the redevelopment of their stadium. Consequently, the club has been better positioned to manage the intergroup interactions and dynamics between supporter groups within the stadium and is now more responsive to incidents requiring intervention before conflict develops and escalates within the crowd.

Impact on the Governance and Policing of Mass Emergencies

Finally, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Stott was invited, based on his research expertise, to advise the Behavioural Science sub-group (SPI-B) of the Scientific Advisory Group in Emergencies (SAGE). In this role he co-created and Chairs the SPI-B Policing and Security sub-Group. Several papers developed based upon KPAC’s research have subsequently been used to advise Government, police, and other stakeholders on policing the pandemic in ways that alleviate social tensions, address disproportionality, and avoid inadvertently creating the conditions for riots to emerge and spread [5.9, 5.10].

Sherman’s research has generated impact benefiting HCPs and the public by informing and influencing key partners involved in HPV vaccination and screening, including: PHE, Jo’s Trust and HPV Action. Impact has been achieved through inclusion in national and international materials and guidance documents, invited practitioner workshops and talks, and media engagement.

1. Shaping government policy and decision making, UK, Europe, New Zealand

HPV Vaccination:

The European Cancer Organisation (ECCO, 2019) stated that “By 2030, gender-neutral vaccination programmes against the HPV infection should be in place in all European countries”. Sherman’s research forms part of the evidence used to encourage governments to meet this goal.

In 2018, after 5 years of evidence gathering, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised the UK Government to extend the school-based HPV vaccination programme to boys and the Government agreed. 3.1 findings were submitted to the public phase of the JCVI consultation and Peter Baker, Campaign Director of HPV Action, who spearheaded the successful campaign for gender-neutral vaccination, confirms 3.1 “formed a significant part of the evidence base underpinning this policy change” (5.1). The vaccination is estimated to benefit 400,000 boys annually.

Currently, 17 countries in Europe lack gender-neutral HPV vaccination. In 2020, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control published guidance about gender-neutral and nonavalent HPV vaccination citing 3.2 as evidence (5.2).

Cervical Screening:

Based on 3.6, a New Zealand National Cervical Screening Programme (NCSP) report recommended that the NCSP continue to monitor cancer incidence trends in women under 30, with an emphasis on “engaging women with a high coverage rate at age 25” (5.3).

1. Improving HCP knowledge

HPV and HPV Vaccination:

Following 3.3, Nursing in Practice (circulation:12,000), commissioned an article with learning points about HPV from Sherman (5.4). Sherman gave an invited gender-neutral HPV vaccination workshop at the 2019 School and Public Health Nurses Association conference. Greater Manchester Health & Social Care Partnership (GMHSCP) invited Sherman to present at their Universal HPV vaccination launch event (5.5). 80-100% of respondents from each event said they had/intended to use the information to inform their own practice and to disseminate the information further.

3.4 was cited as underpinning evidence for a call to improve public and professional awareness and education about HPV in a major report by ECCO urging action to reduce the annual 87,000 HPV-related cancers across 50 countries (5.6).

HPV and cervical screening:

Jo’s Trust use 3.4 to advocate for and deliver training to HCPs (5.7) and PHE used 3.4 to update smear taker online training materials (see screenshot).

1. Raising public awareness and improving understanding

PHE (2017) seeks to halt declining cervical screening numbers and protect against future fluctuations in HPV vaccination. Public knowledge and awareness about HPV, vaccination, and screening are important to ensure optimal engagement with the programmes. A campaign of media activity (2015-2020) has led to Sherman’s research being disseminated to over 20 million people (5.9) and it has informed NHS and charity communications.

HPV and HPV Vaccination:

3.1 informed development of the GMHSCP communication strategy for the expansion of the HPV vaccine programme to boys (5.5) and informed Jo’s Trust’s interactions with the 4 nations’ national screening programmes to advocate for language around gender-neutral vaccination (5.7). Following 3.1, Peter Baker (HPV Action) invited Sherman onto the expert advisory group which helped develop the website launched to inform the public about male HPV vaccination (5.1).

A Conversation article (5.8) about 3.1 received 7,082 readers, 23 comments, 70 retweets, 247 Facebook shares, was republished by Medical Xpress, and Radio Stoke (weekly audience 121,000) interviewed Sherman about the research. Following publication of 3.4 and the announcement of universal HPV vaccination, further media interviews took place (5.9). Social media activity around Sherman’s publications indicate considerable reach. 3.1: 82 tweets from 59 users, reach-404,522; 3.2: 42 tweets from 22 users, reach-58,915 (Altmetric).

HPV and cervical screening:

3.3 received extensive national and international media coverage during Cervical Screening Awareness Week, including the Today Programme, Woman's Hour, BBC 5 Live (combined daily listeners: 8 million), national print newspapers including the Metro, Daily Mirror, i, Daily Express, Independent, Telegraph, Times, frontpage of The Scotsman (combined daily readership, 2015: 3.3 million) (5.9), and a BBC Breakfast Show interview (5.9). There were 40+ pieces of regional coverage, international coverage in 14+ countries and the BMJ identified it as one of their biggest stories of 2015 (5.10). Jo’s Trust confirmed that 3.3 significantly amplified their own awareness campaign and has been influential in focusing a spotlight on the issue of cervical screening for older women (5.7).