Research shows that people with learning disabilities are at higher risk of sexual abuse than those without, and that women with learning disabilities are particularly vulnerable. When women with learning disabilities report rape/ sexual assault to the police, their reports are even less likely to result in a conviction. Studies of rape conviction rates show that victims with learning disabilities/ autism are more likely to see their cases 'drop out' of the criminal justice system, and at an earlier stage. However, there is limited evidence available explaining why this happens and how it can be improved. Research already undertaken by Durham University with Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland, and Northumbria Police (Jobe & Williams et al 2020), found that the criminal justice system creates barriers to justice for people with learning disabilities/autism when reporting rape/ sexual assault. Barriers include police officers not recognising learning disabilities or understanding how learning disabilities might impact on evidence, lack of effective and inclusive communication, and a lack of appropriate support for victims. It is evident that practice needs adjustment to develop inclusive support for victims of rape/ sexual assault who have additional needs. Working in partnership with the Principal Investigator's (Jobe) local police constabulary (Durham) and rape support service (RSACC), this project will extend the multi-agency partnership and evidence the impact of new Independent Sexual Violence Advocate (ISVA) for learning disabilities/ additional needs in County Durham. Evidence will be captured through surveys of police officers and interviews with key multi-agency stakeholders. The project will also capture the impact of a theatre based training package which was co-produced by Jobe & Williiams, with Us Too- a group of a women with learning disabilities and/ or autism who have reported rape/sexual assault, supported by ARC England (Association for Real Change), and Open Clasp Theatre Company. The theatre based training was developed to train police officers and other service providers in responding to reports of rape/ sexual assault from women who are autistic or have a learning disability. Training will be used to develop service provider awareness and understanding of needs, and inclusive working practices. Participatory workshops will be held to establish local multi-agency partnership working and better support pathways for victims of rape/ sexual assault with learning disabilities/ autism. Participatory workshops will include police, ISVAs, Intermediaries, SARC, social care, healthcare professionals, care professionals and third sector practitioners with expertise on gender based violence and learning disabilities and/or autism. At the conclusion of the project, best practice from these activities will be shared via a national webinar, a project report, and an academic publication. Project outputs will be available via a dedicated webpage. Project findings will be used to develop a larger scale research bid focused on victims with learning disabilities and/or autism and Gender Based Violence.

This follow-on project seeks to develop the empirical research findings from an AHRC funded project, 'The Impact of the Criminal Process on Health Care Ethics and Practice.' The original project investigated the involvement of the criminal justice system in suspected cases of 'medical manslaughter' (cases in which the conduct of medical practitioners was suspected of causing the patient's death). The project identified problems with the existing legal test, difficulties in communication between the various agencies involved and discrepancies in the ways in which cases are dealt with. The discrepancies identified present a strong case for a systematic and continuing exchange of our findings with the organisations we have worked with in order to consult, implement and apply recommendations from the research at a practical and policy level as well as to disseminate the findings to other organisations, the professions and the public. There are relatively small numbers of medical manslaughter cases each year, which means that those investigating them may have no experience in the particular challenges these cases raise. Mistakes made at this stage can and do fatally compromise an investigation. Healthcare cases are often regarded as a low priority for the police who lack experience in handling such investigations. Medical manslaughter cases are supposed to be referred to the the Crown Prosecution Service Special Crime Division (SCD) but practice on this varies. A significant number of investigations still reach the SCD at a late stage or are not referred. This results in costly, lengthy and poor quality investigations, to the detriment of the parties involved and to the NHS (as the professionals may be suspended from practice during this time). A number of agencies may become involved in the investigation of the causes of such deaths and in determining whether any fault can be attributed to the practitioners involved. Communication between different organisations is often poor and organisations such as the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) often fail to become involved. Current protocols intended to facilitate effective organisation of enquiries between different agencies are failing and do not include the Crown Prosecution Service or coroners. The follow-on project will explore the best ways of dealing with these cases (from the points of view of the victims' families, those under suspicion and the investigating and prosecuting agencies). It will facilitate the exchange of ideas and experience between practitioners in England and Wales. As a result of consultation with our project partners, we will produce documents to facilitate the effective investigation and management of such cases. In particular we will produce case management guidance to enable more consistent and effective treatment of cases of medical error and will have a tangible effect at the level of policy and practice on the application of the criminal law in such cases. We will also produce an accessible handbook aimed at medical and legal practitioners and students outlining the guidance, recommendations and protocols surrounding medical error and the criminal process produced as part of the project. We will disseminate our findings to an academic audience via journal articles. Finally, we will explore the experience in England and Wales identified in our research with colleagues in Scotland and discover what both jurisdictions can learn from each other.

The COVID-19 crisis is changing the shape of crime. Drawing on crime science, this research will inform evidence-based policy and practice. Lockdown requires people to stay home, leading to domestic violence and child abuse increases. Yet social distancing means police are arresting fewer suspects: reduced services at time of greater need. COVID-19 gives fraudsters a 'conversation starter' to approach people in-person, via text, email and online. Remote working and online leisure activities, furloughs and financial difficulties, provide more potential targets for online crimes of various types. Vulnerable groups including the elderly and disabled are more at risk. Yet a Harvard study (Kissler et al. Science, 14 April) suggests that, absent a vaccine, social distancing may continue into 2022, perhaps 2024. So we will anticipate crime effects of prolonged, graduated or cyclical exit strategies. We will also anticipate post-crisis scenarios, seeking to sustain declines in crimes like burglary, to avoid them returning to 'normal'. We will use (1) national police data, (2) detailed data from three police partners, (3) fraud and e-crime data from industry, and (4) sources from other agencies such as Childline (for unreported crime). Pre/post-change analysis will use a combination of time-series and spatial modelling. Nesting force-level analysis in the national and international context will allow us to gauge scalability. We have police and industry partners, national (Home office, National Police Chief's Council, College of Policing) and international advisors. The aim is to inform policy and practice, producing 16 deliverables including policy and practice briefings and research articles.

The proposed project provides a near real-time evidence base to inform the police approach to the apparent surge in domestic violence and abuse (DA) triggered by the Covid-19 lockdown in the UK. Police case file data from seven diverse police forces are pooled to track the impact of the pandemic on DA, analysing changes in the risk factors, frequency, nature and profile of DA reported to police. These changes are mapped closely to shifts in the restrictions imposed during lockdown, transitional phases and post lockdown, when DA calls to police are expected to spike. The proposed study is the largest and most rigorous analysis of police DA case file data conducted anywhere in the world to date. The statistical analysis is complemented by regular focused semi-structured phone interviews with police officers, to identify emerging challenges and best practice in the frontline response to DA. The mixed-methods study addresses urgent questions on the impact of Covid-19 on DA, which may have significant implications for the complex task of accurate police risk assessment, victim safeguarding, and criminal prosecution as the Covid-19 pandemic evolves. The Home Office, the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), and College of Policing (CoP) are project partners and constitute direct links to critical decision-makers and provide direct routes to impact. A timely and evidence-based development of a police strategy is urgently needed to address the emerging DA crisis and its devastating, long-lasting consequences for victims and their children.

Policing is undergoing rapid transformation. As societies face new and more complex challenges, police workloads increasingly focus on managing risks of harm to vulnerable people. At the same time, public debate voicing concerns about police priorities is rising, driven by questions about what the police do and about legitimacy in the face of discriminatory practices. Dramatic increases in complex cases coupled with cuts to public services have resulted in the police frequently acting as 'the service of first resort', at the frontline of responding to urgent social problems such as mental illness, homelessness and exploitation. The presence of such vulnerabilities draw the police into responses alongside other service providers (such as health, social care and housing) often with little clarity of roles, boundaries or shared purpose. Simultaneously, the transformation of data and its use are beginning to reshape how public services operate. They raise new questions about how to work in ethical ways with data to understand and respond to vulnerability. These shifts in police-work are mirrored around the world and pose significant challenges to how policing is undertaken and how the police interact with other public services, as well as how policing affects vulnerable people who come into contact with services. The Vulnerability and Policing Futures Research Centre aims to understand how vulnerabilities shape demand for policing and how partner organisations can prevent future harm and vulnerability through integrated public service partnerships. Rooted in rich local data collection and deep dives into specific problems, the Centre will build a knowledge base with applications and implications across the UK and beyond. It will have significant reach through collaborative work with a range of regional, national and international partners, shaping policy and practice through networks, practitioner exchanges and comparative research, and through training the next generation of scholars to take forward new approaches to vulnerabilities research and co-production with service providers, service receivers and the public. The Centre will be an international focal point for research, policy, practice and public debate. Jointly led by York and Leeds, with expertise from Durham, Lancaster, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, UCL, Monash and Temple universities and the Police Foundation, and working with a network of 38 partners, it will explore fundamental questions regarding the role police and their partners should play in modern society. While focusing policing effort on the most vulnerable holds promise for a fairer society, targeting specific groups raises questions about who counts as vulnerable and has the potential to stigmatise and increase intervention in the lives of marginalised citizens. At a critical time of change for policing, the Centre will ensure that research, including evidence drawing on public opinion and the voices of vulnerable people, is at the heart of these debates. The Centre will undertake three interconnected strands of research. The first focuses on how vulnerability develops in urban areas, drawing together diverse public sector datasets (police, health, social services and education) to understand interactions between agencies and the potential to prevent vulnerabilities. The second explores how police and partners can best collaborate in response to specific vulnerabilities, including exploitation by County Lines drug networks, online child sexual exploitation, domestic abuse, modern slavery, mental illness and homelessness. The third will combine research into public opinion with a programme to embed research evidence into policy, practice and public debate, creating a new understanding of vulnerability and transforming capability to prevent harm and future vulnerabilities through integrated partnership working, reshaping the future of policing as a public service.