SIPR Director Dr Andrew Wooff and Head of Operations Monica Craig attended the N8 Policing Research Partnership Policing Innovation Forum at Newcastle University on 16 June 2026 ‘exploring the theme of Policing, People and Health.
Dr Andrew Wooff formally welcomed delegates alongside Professor Layla Skinns before providing an introduction to SIPR and SPACE, highlighting their roles in supporting research, collaboration and knowledge exchange across policing and public services.
Andrew is also chairing the panel session Community Wellbeing: Preventative and Harm Reduction Approaches. The panel brings together Professor Elizabeth Aston, Professor Fiona Measham, Jason Kew and Professor Mark Monaghan to explore the practical challenges of centring community wellbeing within preventative and harm reduction approaches.
The session examines emerging evidence and practice across drug checking services, the Health Justice Nexus and preventative policing, advocacy and training to support diversion and harm reduction responses, and findings from a large scale evaluation of police led drug diversion. Discussion focuses on the opportunities, challenges and future directions for wellbeing focused policing.
Earlier in the programme, former Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie KPM delivered a thought provoking presentation entitled Sharing is Caring, exploring how effective partnerships are built on shared goals, shared data, shared responsibility and shared accountability.
Drawing on his experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gary reflected on how organisations can achieve better outcomes when they work together, share information and focus on common objectives. He highlighted the importance of sustaining collaboration beyond periods of crisis and argued that prevention is often more effective than responding to harm after it occurs.
A key message emerging across the Forum is that complex societal challenges require collaborative, evidence informed responses that bring together policing, health, academia and community partners.
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