Areas of expertise: Policing; Police Education; Public Health Approaches to Policing; Policing Vulnerable Groups; Police partnership working; Penal policy; Restorative Justice

Profile

I am a Research Fellow at the ESRC Vulnerability and Policing Research Centre exploring how the police and other services can best be harnessed to prevent and reduce vulnerabilities. I am currently working on a project exploring preventative approaches to online child sexual victimisation (OCSV), a project mapping the service provision for vulnerable populations in contact with the police across Bradford, and a project exploring if there is scope in domestic abuse responses to consider the vulnerabilities perpetrators may have and what this might look like in practice. These projects utilise mixed-methods approaches and aim to work collaboratively with local practitioners and communities. I also continue to work on projects relating to my PhD topic (police learning and education), where we recently completed an evaluation of the Police Scotland tutor model. Throughout my research I pride myself on working with local communities and key stakeholders to co-develop ways in which sustainable positive change can be achieved for those most vulnerable.

Within the OCSV project for example we co-designed and co-produced a video with local children between the ages of 6-16 to help us understand what might help them to stay safe online. The video is available here.

I have completed my PhD at Edinburgh Napier University and also worked there as an Associate Lecturer (2018-2022). My PhD explored the role, value and culture of police learning in Scotland and utilised a mixed-methods approach to explore learning in relation to the Scottish policing context. I talked to police officers across ranks and roles, practitioners from allied professions (such as social work and nursing) and students on a Scottish policing focussed university degree course. Findings support the ongoing development of learning offers for police officers in Scotland, such as their Strategic Review of Training and Development, and beyond and have also informed evaluations by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland.

I am the co-chair of the European Society of Criminology Policing Working Group supporting a thriving community of policing researchers across Europe (2019 – present). Additionally, I am on the board of the Global Law Enforcement and Public Health Association (GLEPHA) promoting research, understanding and practice at the intersection of law enforment and public health. In these roles I seek to connect scholars and practitioners across countries to support knowledge exchange and think about how police may work with partners to address the needs of people who are vulnerable.

Qualifications

• PhD Police Learning and Education
• MSc Applied Criminology and Forensic Psychology
• BA (Hons) Criminology

Professional memberships

• Advance HE (Associate Fellowship)
• European Society of Criminology
• British Society of Criminology
• Global Law Enforcement and Public Health Association (GLEPHA)

Student education

I teach and mark undergraduate and postgraduate courses on policing, sociology and research methods. I have previously supervised final year projects and was a postgraduate research representative for many years.

Research outputs

Journal articles

Martin D; Engelmann L; Betts P (2026) From Politics to Possibility: Understanding England’s Distinctive Path in Police Higher Education Reform. European Journal of Policing Studies, 9, (2), pp. 88-109. http://dx.doi.org/10.5553/ejps.2025.8

Easton M; Engelmann L; Oddsson G (2026) Building a European Understanding of Police-Academic Relations. European Journal of Policing Studies, 9, (2), pp. 77-87. http://dx.doi.org/10.5553/EJPS.2026.31

Engelmann L; Tatnell AAT (2025) Blending the ‘craft’ and ‘science’ of policing: challenges and opportunities for police as professional learning organizations. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, 19, (1). http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/police/paaf036

Engelmann L; Weirich CA; May-Chahal C (2025) Developing quality standards for community-based online child sexual exploitation and abuse interventions. Child Abuse & Neglect, 164. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2025.107444

Chapters

Engelmann L (2026) Turning Evidence Into Practice. In: Halford E ed Building an Outstanding Police Service: Understanding the Police Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Legitimacy (PEEL) Inspection Framework, IGI Global, pp. 223-238. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3373-2757-0.ch015

Engelmann L; Tatnell A (2023) Researching Police Professionalisation in Scotland, Sweden, and Finland. In: Martin D; Tong S eds Introduction to Policing Research: Taking Lessons from Practice, Routledge, pp. 77-93. http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003276456-9

Wooff A; Engelmann L (2022) Anti-social Behaviour: Police–Community Relationships. The Encyclopedia of Rural Crime, Bristol University Press, pp. 181-183. http://dx.doi.org/10.51952/9781529222036.ch047

Engelmann L; Wooff A (2022) Reassurance Policing in Rural Communities. The Encyclopedia of Rural Crime, Bristol University Press, pp. 205-207. http://dx.doi.org/10.51952/9781529222036.ch054

Reports

Walklate S; Westmarland N; Fitz-Gibbon K; Engelmann L; Rowlands D; Yardımcı Ö (2025) Responding to family violence/domestic abuse: lessons from Greater Manchester (UK) and Victoria (Australia). http://dx.doi.org/10.48785/100/470

May-Chahal C; Crawford TA; Weirich C; Engelmann L (2024) Co-designing community resilience to online child sexual exploitation and abuse victimisation. http://dx.doi.org/10.48785/100/276

Engelmann L; Rowlands D; White A; Crawford TA (2024) Service provision for vulnerable people in contact with policing: a strategic view from Bradford. http://dx.doi.org/10.48785/100/275