The project has been highly productive, both academically and operationally. Fieldwork conducted in the four regions of focus resulted in valuable findings that have been disseminated among academic and institutional communities in the form of academic articles, policy briefs, training manuals, COP handbooks, digital stories, and more, not to mention further dissemination through regional workshops and the project’s final conference, and through the project’s online magazine and website, which provides public access to these materials.
These outputs were the result of a 5-year effort by the project’s researchers, leaders and coordinators. With four regions under scrutiny, and contextual differences within each region, we have conducted literature reviews, institutional mapping, contextual assessments and fieldwork. In some cases, there was a need to shift some fieldwork to less volatile areas. Nevertheless, a significant amount of data was collected and analyzed, providing the foundation for insights to be observed and communicated through project deliverables.
Our project covered overall as well as case and crosscutting themes and specific research objectives. To assist and further the project’s comparative elements, we developed a database that allows for comparison across research questions and crosscutting themes. Our emphasis on technological development resulted in context assessment and technological scoping reports, put into use by regional research groups collaborating with our technology development work package leader, who has gone on to conduct four technology pilots in each of the focus regions.
Our project is rooted in police practice. We established a Police Experts Network (PEN), comprising police practitioners from national and international services, as well as civil society actors working on policing issues. On a volunteer basis, these individuals serve as project advisors and facilitators. Project partner PHS coordinates the network.
In terms of project operations, with over 35 researchers representing 15 institutions and four continents, it has been imperative for the project’s leadership to facilitate collaboration. For efficient management, the Steering Committee (the Project Leader and the other WP leaders) and Project Coordination Team has met quarterly to discuss progress. The Coordination Team, which consists of the Project Leader and two administrators at the NMBU, meets weekly to plan and implement the Steering Committee’s decisions.
For secure collaboration among researchers and within each work package, the project originally established an online SharePoint workspace. In the fourth year of the project, this was moved to a Microsoft Teams network. Interview transcripts, raw and metadata about our respondents have been stored on a secure data storage system. This is not merely a legal obligation; it is an ethical imperative. Our project has an elaborate ethics approach, complete with ethical guidelines and methodological principles, an internal ethics committee, and an external independent ethics monitoring board consisting of two academic experts. We have also developed Ethical Guidelines for our researchers, which are based on national and international standards. By strictly adhering to these guidelines, we are committed to a ‘do no harm’ code of professional conduct.
Exploitation of results has also been taken into careful consideration; the partners involved in the project have submitted commitments to exploitation activities that maintain, further develop, and utilize the products and knowledge generated by the project. These specific institutional commitments include activities of research, education, networking, continued dissemination, and online activities. In the interest of further exploitation, the project partners developed a formal detailed business plan as a potential expansion to this plan. Finally, in efforts to secure IPR, the project has also applied to the Norwegian Industrial Property Office for a trademark of the project title, logo, and services offered.
