The Police Foundation (UK)

What The Police Foundation (UK) does

The Police Foundation, founded in 1979 by Lord Harris of Greenwich and registered as UK charity 278257, is the only independent think tank in the United Kingdom focused exclusively on policing and crime reduction. It operates from headquarters at 2 Catherine Place, London, with 21 staff and a broader bench of senior trustees and associates drawn from former chief constables, the National Police Chiefs' Council, the College of Policing, McKinsey, the Home Office, and global academic institutions. Its core activities are independent research and publication, consultancy to police forces and policing bodies, training courses, an events programme (including the Cumberland Lodge Police Conference and John Harris Memorial Lecture), and a small portfolio of commercial publications led by the Roadcraft driver-training manuals.

The Foundation's product surface is content- and service-based rather than technology-based: research reports, the 'Perspectives on policing' paper series, the Online Fraud Research Hub, a 223-post blog, and consultancy deliverables on independent reviews, problem solving, and stakeholder facilitation. There is no proprietary technology platform; dissemination runs through the website, newsletter, LinkedIn, Bluesky, and earned media. The Roadcraft franchise (Police Driver's Handbook, Motorcycle Roadcraft, Fleetcraft, Towing Roadcraft) is distributed through the third-party Safe Driving for Life website and represents a notable commercial asset.

Revenue is generated through a non-profit model. The majority of income comes from charitable grants and donations from trusts, foundations, businesses, and individuals, with major funders in the year ended 30 June 2024 including the Dawes Trust (£100k–£150k), the National Institute for Health and Care Research (£40k–£70k), Barrow Cadbury (£20k–£40k), Virgin Media O2 Business (£20k–£40k), and the Youth Endowment Fund (£5k–£20k). Consultancy work for police forces and policing bodies, events and training courses (£70k–£100k band), and publication sales (£40k–£70k band) provide supplementary unrestricted income. The Foundation is governed by a board of trustees chaired by Dame Sara Thornton DBE QPM and led operationally by Director Blair Gibbs (appointed June 2025).

Name

The Police Foundation (UK)

Legal name

The Police Foundation

Website

https://police-foundation.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Police Foundation is the UK's only independent think tank focused exclusively on policing, producing evidence-based research, consultancy, training, and publications for police forces, Police and Crime Commissioners, the NPCC, and the College of Policing, and funded by charitable grants, consultancy fees, and publication sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Safety Policy Research

NAICS

National Security and International Affairs (9281)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Criminal Investigations & Forensics (Detectives, Crime Labs, CSI) (BPAIAGAI), Police Services (Patrol, Response & Community Policing) (BPAIAGAA)

Keywords

• Police research
• Policing think tank
• Evidence-based policing
• Crime prevention research
• Police consultancy

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Charitable Grants and Donations: The majority of funding comes from charitable grants and donations. Funders include charitable trusts, foundations, businesses, and individual donors. Major funders for year ended 30 June 2024 include Dawes Trust (£100k-£150k), National Institute for Health and Care Research (£40k-£70k), Barrow Cadbury (£20k-£40k), Virgin Media O2 Business (£20k-£40k), Youth Endowment Fund (£5k-£20k), and others. Some funding is restricted (R) and some unrestricted (UR).
2. Consultancy Services: The organization carries out consultancy work for police forces and other organizations, providing independent reviews, focused problem solving, stakeholder facilitation, and training courses. This generates unrestricted funding. The organization states that all profits from consultancy are reinvested into the work of the Police Foundation.
3. Events and Training: Revenue generated from events and training programmes including courses for police officers and staff. Funding in the £70k-£100k range for year ended 30 June 2024.
4. Sale of Publications: Revenue from sale of publications including Roadcraft manuals and other policing resources. Falls in the £40k-£70k funding range for year ended 30 June 2024.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Police Foundation is the UK's only independent think tank focused exclusively on improving policing. It produces evidence-based research and 'Perspectives on policing' papers, delivers bespoke consultancy and training courses to police forces and policing bodies, hosts events including the annual Cumberland Lodge Police Conference, and publishes authoritative handbooks such as Roadcraft, the gold standard manual for police driver training.

Product overview

The Police Foundation is the UK's independent policing think tank that offers a portfolio of research publications, consultancy services, training courses, and events. The core offerings include evidence-based research reports and the 'Perspectives on policing' series, along with practical driving/riding handbooks (Roadcraft, Motorcycle Roadcraft, Fleetcraft, Towing Roadcraft) used across UK policing. Additional services include consultancy for police forces, training courses on performance management and problem-solving, an online fraud research hub, and an events programme featuring the annual Cumberland Lodge Police Conference.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Consultancy Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Strategic Review of Policing in England and Wales - regularly cited by government agencies and senior figures
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and notable.

• Crest AdvisorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrest Advisory is a strategic partner in the Online Fraud Research Hub, collaborating with the Police Foundation, University College London, and Perpetuity Research to bring together different research strands on online fraud to improve understanding and inform policymaking.
• University College LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity College London collaborates with the Police Foundation as part of the Online Fraud Research Hub, contributing academic expertise to research on online fraud and its implications for policing policy and practice.
• Perpetuity ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPerpetuity Research is a key research partner in the Online Fraud Research Hub and has collaborated with the Police Foundation on multiple research projects including studies on organized crime in local communities, the health impact of fraud, and police response to victims of fraud.
• Virgin Media O2 BusinessnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirgin Media O2 Business partnered with the Police Foundation to produce 'The power of information' report providing a strategic roadmap for police forces on digital systems, data and technology. This represents a private sector partnership focused on policing technology reform.
• National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe NPCC is described as a key policing body that the Police Foundation works with to carry out independent research to inform police policy and practice. The NPCC represents police chief officers in the UK.
• College of PolicingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe College of Policing is identified as a key policing body partner. The Police Foundation has worked with the College on various research initiatives and contributes to police leadership and professional standards discussions.
• Association of Police and Crime CommissionerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Association of Police and Crime Commissioners is a key partner organization. Police and Crime Commissioners are mentioned as funders and collaborators on research projects including understanding public priorities for policing.
• Leapwise AdvisorynotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeapwise Advisory partnered with the Police Foundation to publish 'Fit for the future: the case for a reformed national policing landscape,' calling for a single national police agency to better support frontline policing.
• CGInotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerCGI partnered with the Police Foundation on a project exploring how digitisation could be better harnessed by agencies across the justice system, particularly for service-users. This was part of the 'Reforming justice for the digital age' initiative.
• UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolice Foundation staff (Michael Skidmore) collaborated with UNODC on producing the 'Public-Private Partnership Toolkit Against Organized Fraud' and 'Organized Fraud: Issue Paper,' representing international engagement on fraud research.
• Universities (Academic Partners)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Police Foundation works with universities including University of Portsmouth (Professor Sarah Charman), University of Cardiff (Professor Martin Innes, Crime and Security Research Institute), University of Dundee (Professor Nick Fyfe), and others for research collaboration and academic counsel.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Vera Institute of Justice: US non-profit research and technical assistance organization working on policing and justice reform. Similar mission (evidence-based policing, safer society) and similar non-profit, evidence-driven operating model. Geographic scope differs but methodological and competitive overlap exists for international grants.
• Howard League for Penal Reform: UK charity that combines research, policy work, and practical engagement on policing and the penal system. Smaller remit focused on penal reform rather than all of policing, but addresses the same audience of police leaders, PCCs, and government.
• Centre for Crime and Justice Studies: UK-based criminal justice research and policy organization producing reports and convening events. Smaller-scale peer with a criminology-academic orientation, competing for some of the same funder and audience attention on crime and policing issues.

Broad incumbents

• RAND Corporation: Global policy research non-profit with a substantial portfolio on policing, crime, and justice. Operates at far greater scale across geographies; included as a peer because it competes for the same UK and international policing research commissions and audiences.
• Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR): UK progressive think tank covering justice, policing, and public services. Shares the cross-party research and policy-publishing model, with adjacent commissions on policing and crime prevention. Senior associate Ian Kearns was a former Deputy/Acting Director.
• Royal United Services Institute (RUSI): UK's leading defense and security think tank. Operates in the adjacent national security and policing space with overlapping government and senior-officer audience, but covers a much broader portfolio (defense, counter-terrorism, cyber). Comparable funding model and convening function.

Direct peers

• Police Executive Research Forum (PERF): US-based non-profit that conducts research and convenes police executives. Same mission (advancing policing through research, policy, and management) and same non-profit funding model (memberships, grants, contracts). Direct functional peer operating in a different geography.
• Crest Advisory: UK policing and justice consultancy and research firm. Strategic partner in the Online Fraud Research Hub and a near-overlap in client base (police forces, PCCs, Home Office). Comparable product mix of research, advisory, and policy work targeting the same UK policing stakeholders.
• National Police Foundation (US): The US counterpart—an independent, non-profit policing research organization. Same singular focus on policing research, policy, and practice, with publications and convening functions for law enforcement leaders. Direct category match despite US geography.

Regional players

• Scottish Institute for Policing Research: Strategic collaboration between Scottish universities and the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland. Similar evidence-based policing research focus, but scoped to Scotland and run as a university consortium rather than a standalone think tank. Trustee Prof. Nick Fyfe is its founding director.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-police-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Police Foundation (UK)