The University of Portsmouth hosted academics and policing professionals at the Policing Futures Forum last week, following the launch of its Policing Academic Centre of Excellence (P-ACE) under a £4.5 million national initiative.
The collaborative event, which took place at Portsmouth's Fratton Park, focused on Policing vulnerability and harm in the digital age, integrating academic insight and policing experience to guide future research priorities.
Taking place on Thursday (26 February 2026), the forum featured a number of contributions from a range of experts including Professor Lisa Sugiura and Professor Paul Smith from the University of Portsmouth's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice and Donna Jones , Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
This was followed by roundtable discussions, focusing on technology-facilitated harm, policing responses using digital tools and vulnerability in digital contexts. The Forum culminated in attendees co-producing a research agenda which will form the foundation of a competitive Policing Futures Research Programme.
The Policing Futures Forum is a central pillar of the University of Portsmouth's Policing Academic Centre of Excellence (P-ACE) . The P-ACE provides a gateway between academia and policing, driving problem-solving and ensuring future readiness. The Centre's activity focuses on eight areas of research interest: analytics and interconnectivity, crime prevention, surveillance and sensing, personal safety, identification and tracing, building and maintaining public trust, cyber-crime and online harm and violence against women and girls.
Professor Sarah Charman , from the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Portsmouth and co-director of the University's P-ACE, said: "This event provided a valuable opportunity for policing partners to be actively involved, helping to ensure the proposed research agenda is relevant, actionable, and closely aligned with operational priorities.
"By working in close collaboration with police forces and partners, we can ensure our research delivers real impact while building the confidence and skills of future researchers and practitioners."
Professor Sarah Charman. Image credit: University of Portsmouth
The event built on the University's long-standing collaboration with policing, while also prioritising the development of essential future skills for police officers, police staff, and researchers.
During the day, the Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones announced the launch of a new £2 million Innovation Fund which aims to help transform frontline policing.
Donna Jones , Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, said: "Science and technology is as vitally important to the future of policing as it is to society as a whole. It holds significant potential to be used to make policing better, more transparent, and more effective - solving operational challenges, reducing crime and delivering a better, trusted service.
Donna Jones, Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Image credit: University of Portsmouth.
"It's why I'm launching a £2 million Innovation Fund designed to support ideas from officers and staff that help policing get back to the basics: being visible in communities, getting investigations over the line, solving problems and cutting red tape.
"I'm delighted to have announced the Innovation Fund at the University of Portsmouth's Policing Futures Forum, where operational policing and academic research come together to address some of the challenging issues facing society today.
"Collaboration is key: identifying problems together, designing solutions together, and putting them into practice together will help reduce crime, make our communities safer and enable policing to get back to the basics."
Professor Paul Smith , from the University of Portsmouth's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice and co-director of the University's P-ACE, said: "It's been a great event and a real privilege for the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice to host key stakeholders from policing, police governance and academia, bringing them together to shape the research landscape.
"We are grateful to everyone who attended and gave up their time to share knowledge and collaborate to tackle the challenges facing policing, as a P-ACE team we hope this will be the first of many events."
