Blog Archives - Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre

Policing, vulnerability and justice: Can we really reduce harm and strengthen justice in a time of crisis?

Professor Carlene Firmin delivering a keynote speech

By Storm Marsh-Smith. Published 13 October 2025. Reflections from the ‘Vulnerability and Policing: Reducing Harm, Strengthening Justice’ conference 2025 There was no holding back in the lively, passionate discussions across the two-day conference. Themes of trauma, repeated institutional failings within public services designed to keep us safe, and numerous accounts of injustice emerged – often …

Group of PhD students sat at tables with speaker presenting.

By Sat Kartar Kaur Chandan. Published 5 August 2025. What happens when 21 PhD students come together from across the globe and disciplines, all focused on the intersection of vulnerability and policing? You get a fantastic week of enriching conversations, invaluable collaborations, lasting connections, and a renewed sense of motivation. This was my experience of …

Group of people in discussion, sat around a table

By Janine Ewen. Published: 11 April 2025. Janine Ewen, a specialist in trauma, public health, policing and harm reduction, outlines a careful approach to conducting a Health Needs Assessment (HNA), and advice on how to collaborate on project work that properly represents the needs and safety required for underserved populations at community level. A health …

Police officer holding a bicycle and speaking to a woman in a headscarf on the street.

By Professor Liz Hughes and Professor Martin Webber. Published: 20 December 2024. Right Care, Right Person Right Care, Right Person (RCRP) was introduced into every police force in England and Wales from 2023 to reduce police involvement in mental health calls. The first evaluations published by the Home Office/Department of Health and Social Care and …

Group shot of researchers who attended an ESRC festival of Social Science event in Broadway Shopping Centre, Bradford.

By Dr Larissa Engelmann, Dr David Rowlands, Dr Anna Barker and Dr Vikki Houlden. Published: 4 December 2024. The UK Government has pledged to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the next decade, with police forces such as West Yorkshire Police prioritising it as a strategic goal. The City of Bradford District Metropolitan …

By Natalie Avlonitis, PhD Researcher, University of York. Published: 25 November 2024. The first Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre conference took place on 5 September 2024 and invited a mix of academics, practitioners, policy makers and police to present on, and engage with, the Centre’s research. The conference highlighted the expansive range of the …

Audience listening to Professor Charlie Lloyd speak at the Centre's annual conference.

By Sat Kartar Kaur Chandan, PhD Researcher, University of Leeds. Published: 19 November 2024. Society is rapidly changing, with the concept of vulnerability taking on new complexities that demand greater attention. Whether arising from experiences of inequalities, deprivation, or hidden challenges, vulnerable groups often face additional barriers when engaging with traditional justice systems. These repercussions …

Person stood on yellow line with white shoes on

By Revolving Doors Lived Experience Members, published: 31/10/2024. Last month Revolving Doors Lived Experience Members, J, C and A, attended the Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre’s conference. Presenting at the ‘Learning from Less Heard Voices’ session, they spoke about county lines (drug trafficking/exploitation) and discussed ways to address exploitation in county lines drug markets. The …

Emergency service workers on a raft following flooding in the UK

By Dr Ali Malik, published: 22/10/2024. This blog was originally published on the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures website. Climate change is already having an impact on policing and public services in the UK. From one-off extreme weather events requiring emergency assistance, to tackling social unrest and disruption due to climate anxieties, as well as …

Woman standing on seashore during daytime

By Trish Chinzara, published: 28/06/2024. This blog was originally published on the N8 PRP website. Trish Chinzara discusses the SHaRE IT Project and the new workshop designed to improve the police reporting experiences of racially minoritised women and girls. The SHaRE IT Project – Sexual Harassment and Reporting Equity, Inclusion and Trust – is a …

Policing, vulnerability and justice: Can we really reduce harm and strengthen justice in a time of crisis?

Policing, vulnerability, and the value of connection: reflections from the Vulnerability and Policing International PhD Summer School 2025

Why we should be using place-based Health Needs Assessments to reduce health inequalities in underserved communities

“Whose job is it, anyway?” Responding to mental health emergencies

Safety in Bradford: Voices of Women and Girls

Reflections on “Reshaping the relationship between vulnerability and policing”

Reshaping Vulnerability in Policing: Conference Insights

County lines: redefining vulnerability and support

Utilising local community knowledge to support policing during the climate crisis

The SHaRE IT Project: Enhancing Procedural Justice for Racially Minoritised Young Women Reporting Sexual Harassment to the Police