The N8 PRP 2025 Police Priority Grants will investigate neurodivergence in custody and the wellbeing of call handlers.  

N8 Policing Research Partnership has announced that two Police Priority Grants have been funded, with research due to start in May 2025.

N8 PRP Police Priority Grants foster innovative ideas and collaborative research to generate new resources for N8 PRP partners, supporting the development of policing research and evidence-based policing. 

This year, applicants were asked to propose projects prompted by the 2024/25 N8 PRP Police Research Priorities Statement. The Statement enables co-ordinated communication from police partners on their priorities for N8 PRP-supported activity will enable more effective use of existing and ongoing research, and prompt innovative, socially significant research that would not otherwise have been generated or prioritised. 

Both projects that have been funded are in collaboration with police partners, who will be contributing data, interviews, and access to records.

Emotional Demands, Absence and Turnover amongst Call Handlers

Dr Sarah Brooks, University of Sheffield, with South Yorkshire Police and Cleveland Police

This project responds to the Police Research Priority Workforce Planning, Staff Retention and Police Mental Health.

Dr Sarah Brooks proposed to focus this priority on the experience of call handlers. The work of call handlers is vital, but high sickness absence rates and high turnover rates make management of force control rooms difficult, unpredictable and costly (College of Policing, 2024). It has been established that there are links between the distressing nature of emergency call-handling and poor mental health outcomes (Osorio et al., 2024) and poor mental health and absence from work (Bryan, Bryce & Roberts, 2021), with the link thought to be the emotional demands of the role (Powell et al., 2022).

Dr Brooks will explore how the emotional demands of emergency calls contribute to sickness absence and turnover intention and how to address these demands. Dr Brooks will work with South Yorkshire and Cleveland Police to co-produce two prioritisation matrices which will enable better identification and management of emotional demands and resources. 

The project will provide a much-needed qualitative insight into how emotional demands and sickness absence and turnover are linked in an under-researched environment. It will also provide police with practical tools and insights into supporting and managing call handlers effectively.  

The Experiences of Autistic People during Arrest and Custody

Dr Laura Naegler and Professor Gabe Mythen, University of Liverpool, with Greater Manchester Police and ConnectFutures

This project responds to the Police Research Priority The experience of neurodivergent people in the Criminal Justice System. 

Dr Laura Naegler and Professor Gabe Mythen will respond to this priority by investigating the experiences of autistic people during arrest and custody. They will review existing mechanisms of support for autistic detainees, explores possibilities for enhancing platforms for
dialogue between the police service and ASD advocacy groups and provides practical and sustainable recommendations for adapting and augmenting support structures for neurodivergent people under arrest or in custody.

Working with ConnectFutures and Greater Manchester Police, Dr Naegler and Prof Mythen will interview autistic people with experience of arrest and custody, members of autism advocacy and disability rights organisations, and police staff. 

Concentrating on autistic people’s experiences during arrest and in custody, this research will significantly contribute to the development of academic and practitioner knowledge in these important areas of intersection between the police service and society. 

Professor Geoff Pearson, Academic Director of the N8 Policing Research Partnership, said:

N8 PRP is delighted to support two new small grant projects focusing on issues of wellbeing relating to police staff and to autistic suspects. These projects promise to make a valuable contribution to the academic understanding in these areas and to develop the evidence-base to support police decision-marking, planning, and support in both policy and practice.

Det. Sup. Ben Ewart, Policing Director of the N8 Policing Research Partnership, said:

These two Police Priority Grant Awards highlight the important role N8PRP has in supporting policing through improved knowledge and understanding. These awards cover key policing areas and clearly define the potential for a positive impact on service delivery and operational practice. I look forward to following the research progress and reviewing the outcomes over the coming months.

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