What makes us healthy? There are a range of factors that contribute to health and ill health, but many are surprised to learn that clinical care accounts for only 20 per cent of health outcomes. The most significant contribution to our health comes from the environments and circumstances in which we’re born, grow, live and work – the social determinants of health. The likes of housing, education, employment, and income all play a role.
The social determinants of health overlap significantly with the social determinants of crime. Those at greater risk of health inequalities are often the same populations at risk of being a victim or a perpetrator of crime. This means that police and health are often working with the same populations and seeing the same issues. Taking a public health approach to policing provides the opportunity to look further upstream to understand the root causes of these complex, interlinked issues and to embed a long-term, prevention mindset.
Back in 2018, an England-wide Policing, Health and Social Care Consensus Statement was published, with a focus on partnerships, place-based approaches, early intervention, and the upskilling of staff in recognising risk factors and preventing crime. Signatories to the statement included National Police Chiefs’ Council, Local Government Association, College of Policing, Faculty of Public Health and more.
A public health and policing collaborative was established to oversee partnerships and support implementation of the aspirations of the consensus. There have been significant developments over the past seven years, including:
- development of a definition of public health approaches in policing (which has been internationally recognised and adopted across England)
- development of trauma-informed practice definitions
- a Delphi research study to achieve consensus on the research priorities across policing and public health leading to an NIHR funded research call
- development of a guide on public health approaches for Police and Crime Commissioners
- publication of a landscape review exploring the collaborative’s impact on policy, practice and evidence, and learning and good practice
- awareness raising through webinars, podcasts, knowledge hub and national and international conference presentations
- development of an anchor framework for policing
- collaboration with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners to run an introduction to public health approaches for newly elected police and crime commissioners.
- inclusion of public health approaches in the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Policing Vision 2030.
In February 2025, a roundtable co-chaired by Professor Chris Whitty (Chief Medical Officer for England) and Chief Constable Serena Kennedy (Prevention Committee Chair, National Police Chiefs’ Council) brought together stakeholders from numerous bodies across both policing and health to discuss progress and agree collective priorities for the future. It was agreed by all parties that the 2018 consensus statement had provided a foundation for the successes seen to date, and that a refresh to bring it up to date with the current context would ensure that the work continues to drive forward.
The new 2025 Health and Policing Consensus Statement was recently published; it sets out clear commitments under the themes of system-wide approaches, meaningful community connections, and staff development and opportunities to embed. These include:
- establishing ethical frameworks that inform the approach to multi-agency data sharing
- collaborating to understand the drivers of demand and designing evidence-based solutions using problem solving and public health approaches
- meaningfully incorporating community perspectives in the design, delivery, and evaluation of services
- providing a clear vision for the work and creating organisational cultures and opportunities where learning can be put into practice.
The new consensus demonstrates a renewed commitment across the system to work together to tackle the underlying and often shared determinants of health and crime, in order to protect and prevent harm to our communities.
Local authorities are a key partner to this work, with a range of expertise (including public health experts), functions and influence. Councils oversee services that impact the environments in which people live and grow, thereby influencing the determinants of both health and crime. By working together to understand and tackle these issues, we can make a real and lasting difference to the communities that we serve.
Kylie Murrell
Public Health Specialty Registrar
Office for Health Improvement and Disparities