Fragile alliances: culture, funding and sustainability in police–academic partnerships

Background Police–academic partnerships have developed significantly over the past decade or so, spurred on by expansion of evidence-based policing movement, increasing value attached to impactful research in academy, ascendance professionalisation agenda police, and growing necessity cross-sectoral collaborations under conditions post-financial crisis austerity. This trend has given rise a burgeoning literature discipline criminology which is concerned with charting progress these setting out ideal for their future expansion. Aims objectives we advance sympathetic critique this literature, adding note caution its largely optimistic outlook. Methods do combining narrative review police–academic insights from elsewhere social sciences observations our experience running International Strand N8 Policing Research Partnership. Findings discussion while recognise that certainly come long way, capacity make important contributions police work, argue they remain ‘fragile’ alliances, beset fractious occupational cultures, unreliable funding streams unsustainable inter-institutional relationships. We also reason structures underpinning ‘fragility’ not represent problems be overcome, help protect integrity two professions. Conclusion conclude offering pragmatic measures sustaining during those difficult periods characterised cultural dissonance, paucity turnover key personnel.