Ai SUZUKI

Name of university
Fukushima University
Belongs
Organization for the Promotion of Education
Position
Associate Professor
Platform
Human and Society

Research Fields

Crime science

Research Keywords

Evidence-based policing
Crime Prevention
Intervention

Research Subject

Evidence-based policing in Japan: accumulating research evidence through collaboration with practitioners and creating resources for effective crime reduction

Research Outline

Crime science is defined as “the systematic application of scientific principles to the control of crime” (Laycock, 2014) or “the application of science to the phenomenon of crime” (Wortley et al., 2019). In the practice of evidence-based policing, it is necessary not only to accumulate research evidence through field experiments, but also to disseminate it to practitioners (police and local governments) in an easy-to-understand manner. The US and the UK are known for their advanced evidence-based policing, and a great deal of research evidence has been accumulated there. These countries have also created websites that inform practitioners and policymakers about what works in crime reduction. For instance, the What Works Centre for Crime Reduction in the UK, which is devoted to the collection and sharing of crime science research and supporting its use in practice, has a “crime reduction toolkit” summarizing the best available evidence. My research aims to accumulate evidence through collaboration with practitioners in order to create similar resources for effective crime reduction in the Japanese context. 
 
Photo: signage intervention to improve locking behavior of cyclists in bicycle park