The WA Police Force supports research that ‘informs policing’ rather than ‘about policing’ and seeks to endorse research topics which focus on excellence in contemporary policing practices.

The National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research 2023 (“the National Statement”), sets the requirements for conducting research within Australia. This document forms the foundation of the agency’s research governance process. All research undertaken with the WA Police Force must:

• meet the requirements outlined in the National Statement;
• be conducted in a manner that protects the participants, the researcher and the agency; and
• aim to inform and improve policing strategies, practices and outcomes to the community.

All applications to conduct research with the WA Police Force should be directed to Research Governance. The research governance process covers all types of research proposals, including requests to access data for which we are custodians and participation of police personnel in interviews or surveys.

Please read Information and Guidelines and Code of Conduct for Research for further information.