In 2019 the Police Foundation, supported by a number of Police and Crime Commissioners, undertook research to develop a deeper understanding of public attitudes towards police priorities; offering insights at both local and national levels.

The project moved beyond standard opinion surveys that ask people what they think the police should prioritise, without providing information about the realities of modern policing. Instead we brought together focus groups of local residents to discuss policing in their area, introduced information about the breadth and intensity of police demand and assessed the extent to which, once they understood these competing issues more fully, their views on priorities changed.