The University of Edinburgh will partner with three institutions to deliver Scotland’s only Policing Academic Centre of Excellence (P-ACE).
The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) has announced that nine new P-ACEs will launch across the UK in October 2025, funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
Backed by £4.5m in funding and working with police services across the UK, the Centres of Excellence will aim to ensure that policing is shaped by the latest and best scientific expertise, and that leading researchers are able to challenge and innovate in partnership with policing. The P-ACEs will support police with adopting new technologies, developing new tools and techniques, improving training and skills, and increasing public safety.
The Scottish P-ACE will be led by Edinburgh Napier University, in partnership with the University of Edinburgh, Glasgow Caledonian University, and the University of St Andrews.
The Edinburgh Napier University-based centre will be entitled SPACE – the Scottish Policing Academic Centre for Excellence. The name also links its key research themes, each of which is critical to modern policing: safety, prevention, analytics, confidence and ethics.
Edinburgh Law School’s Professor Susan McVie will lead the SPACE centre’s workstream on data and AI. Professor McVie said:
Data and AI are increasingly important for modern policing – both in terms of supporting operational practice and informing policy insights.
Through SPACE we will aim to develop data-driven innovation and AI-based solutions to support Police Scotland in delivering on its 2030 Vision. ”
The work will be carried out in partnership with the Scottish Prevention Hub, involving Police Scotland, Public Health Scotland and the Edinburgh Futures Institute.
Dr Kristy Docherty, Director of Public Services for Edinburgh Innovations, based at Edinburgh Futures Institute, said:
The Scottish Prevention Hub is fostering system-wide partnerships, leveraging data insights, and building capacity for collaborative working. The Hub is using its learning to scope and design a Scottish Centre for Prevention and to significantly improve the health, well-being, and life chances of people across Scotland. We’re delighted to extend this fruitful partnership into SPACE. ”
The University also partners with Police Scotland through the Bayes Centre, the University’s AI and Data Science Innovation Hub, in conjunction with the Schools of Informatics and Maths, to use data to improve frontline policing.
Professor Paul Taylor, Police Chief Scientific Adviser, said:
Academia and policing have a long history of collaborative working on issues as diverse as forensic science, crime prevention, and analytical technologies.
The P-ACEs will fortify this connection, providing a focal point for research and knowledge exchange.
I’m particularly excited about what the P-ACEs can bring to early career scientists who are interested in tackling the complex challenge of keeping the UK public safe. The P-ACE community will, I hope, provide them more opportunities and greater support as we look to forge deep and lasting partnerships over the next decade. ”
Visit the Scottish Prevention Hub
Learn more about the University's partnership with Police Scotland
