Policing Academic Centre of Excellence

Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é’s Policing Academic Centre of Excellence (L-PACE) is based on its world leading reputation for the application of social and behavioural sciences to enduring and emerging policing challenges

Abstract Police blue lights flashing
P-ACE Logo

  • Building and Maintaining Public Trust

  • Crime Prevention

  • Personal Safety

  • Identification and Tracing

  • Surveillance and Sensing

Welcome to L-PACE

The National Police Chiefs’ Council ?(NPCC) in partnership with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has chosen Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é as one of nine Policing Academic Centres of Excellence (P-ACEs). L-PACE is built on Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é’s world leading reputation for the application of social and behavioural sciences to policing Areas of Research Interest, showcasing Lancaster’s multidisciplinary excellence in computational social science, psychology, linguistics, law, criminology and sociology, in the analysis of visual, linguistic and sensor data.

Why Lancaster

Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é offers a vibrant and supportive interdisciplinary research community with a world leading reputation for the application of social and behavioural sciences to policing areas of research interest.

Lancaster is a member of the (N8PRP) a collaboration between 8 research-intensive Universities and 11 police forces in the North of England include Cheshire, Cleveland, Cumbria, Durham, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, North Yorkshire, Northumbria, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire.

Research Excellence

Lancaster Policing Academic Centre of Excellence (L-PACE) is also supported by a range of Institutes and Centre's, most notably the (CREST), Security Lancaster (SL), the Data Science Institute (DSI), (FACTOR), (Nabs+) and the Cyber Security Research Centre (CSRC), the NCSC accredited Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research (ACE-CSR).

What we do

The Lancaster Policing Academic Centre of Excellence (L-PACE) will create a step-change in the ability of Lancaster’s social and behavioural sciences to have a practical and operational impact on policing Areas of Research Interests (ARI). Lancaster’s strengths in policing research is not only cross-disciplinary, but also built around expertise in the analysis of visual, linguistic and sensor data, and in partnership with organisations who are signed up to the Police-Industry Charter.

L-PACE will be a centre that promotes multidisciplinary, multi-modal and multi-sectorial research into policing ARIs, showcasing Lancaster’s multidisciplinary excellence in computational social science, psychology, linguistics, law, criminology and sociology. Working closely with police forces, L-PACE will drive collaboration across academia and policing, ensuring that policing is shaped by the latest and best scientific expertise, and that the UK’s leading researchers are able to challenge and innovate in partnership with policing as together we strive to improve public safety.

Our Industry Partners

L-PACE will work with commercial partners signed up to the Police Industry Charter to meet emerging technological policing challenges, and work to harness Lancaster’s expertise in the analysis of digital visual data, natural language data and ambient sensor data in the service of police ARIs. Our primary industry partners are , (software development and data intelligence) (UK law enforcement services)and (technical and business specialists).

Areas of Research Interest:

L-PACE demonstrates expertise and strengths across the following (ARI's), and aims to provide practical solutions to current policing problems in the following 5 areas:

  1. Building and maintaining public trust
  2. Crime prevention
  3. Personal safety
  4. Identification and tracing
  5. Surveillance and sensing

"Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é’s recognition as a Policing Academic Centre of Excellence (L-PACE) is based on its world leading reputation for the application of social and behavioural sciences to enduring and emerging policing challenges"

Professor Mark Levine, Centre Director

Events

11th Jun

Language, Speech, and AI: An Online Forensics Summer School (2026)

Thursday 11 June 2026, 9:30am to Friday 12 June 2026, 2:45pm

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News

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Fort Vox: the little ¡°voice box¡± with a big message

6 February 2026

Fort Vox is a playful, hands-on project that lets children explore voice biometrics, AI, security and privacy by hacking into a locked box using only their voice. Developed by Dr Lorraine Underwood and element14 with FACTOR's Professor Claire Hardaker and Dr George Brown, it makes invisible technologies tangible, sparks curiosity about cyber security, and helps build the next generation of digital and security talent in the North West.

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AISoc - First Meeting held in Sky Lounge

4 November 2025

The first meeting of a new society took place in Infolab last week. Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é 40 attended the AISoc meeting and plans have been made for future meet ups. There has been great interest in the society ensuring this group will have an active presence on campus.
Data Science Prizes

Data Science Institute Prizes 2025 ¡ª Call for Nominations

4 November 2025

The Data Science Institute (DSI) invites nominations for three prizes celebrating research excellence and inclusive impact across data science and AI. We particularly welcome applications from individuals from historically underrepresented and underserved backgrounds, and we will make adjustments for career breaks.
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Dr Camilla De Camargo presents "Supporting Women in Uniform" findings at Parliament

3 November 2025

Groundbreaking research "Supporting Women in Uniform: Research Calls for Change in Police Equipment Policy" by Dr Camilla De Camargo, Co-i at Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é Policing Academic Centre of Excellence (L-PACE), has revealed that police uniforms and protective equipment are causing physical harm to women officers.

Working closely with police forces, the P-ACEs will drive collaboration among academia and policing

Lancaster to become Policing Academic Centre of Excellence

19 October 2025

The National Police Chiefs¡¯ Council ?(NPCC) in partnership with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has chosen Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é as one of nine Policing Academic Centres of Excellence (P-ACEs) sharing a total of ?4.5 million. 
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New research highlights practical improvements for ¡®Blue Light¡¯ interoperability

6 October 2025

A Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é and University of Liverpool study examined how emergency services work together during live exercises, using video from a large-scale training exercise. It found strong communication but a tendency to work in silos. Researchers recommend clearer shared goals, structured communication, inclusive language, and behavioural observation to improve collaboration and strengthen real-life emergency responses.

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