IKriS - Institute for Criminality and Security Research

The Institute for Criminality and Security Research (IKriS) is a scientific institution of the Police Academy Lower Saxony. Founded on January 1, 2021, the Institute works to further the research activities at the Police Academy. It advises on and coordinates scientific projects, from idea to implementation, up to the publication of results. It thereby works to strengthen visibility and reach of research at the Police Academy.

The Institute fosters regional, national and international, especially European, scientific exchange by promoting the internal and external networking of researchers and projects as well as the knowledge transfer to the public and media, and into police practice.

The following disciplines and themes are the focus in both basic and applied research at the Police Academy:

• Sociology / Psychology

• Criminology / Criminalistics

• Law

• History of the police and of democracy

Current projects

• Implementation of compliance concepts in the police force to strengthen societal acceptance and improve police behavior. In German: Implementierung von Compliance-Konzepten im Polizeiwesen zur Stärkung der gesellschaftlichen Akzeptanz und Verbesserung des polizeilichen Handelns

Dr. Björn Siebler

• Youth interaction – A study of adolescent milieus and their lifeworlds in urban spaces. In German: Interaktionen von Jugendlichen – Eine Studie zu jugendlichen Milieus und ihren Lebenswelten in urbanen Räumen

Dr. Steffen Zdun, Professor at the Police Academy (in cooperation with Prof. Andreas Zick, Bielefeld University)

• Calm and sovereign on the path to police service? A survey on the development of stress management and operational competences during and after study. In German: Gelassen und souverän auf dem Weg in den Polizeidienst? Befragung zur Entwicklung von Stressbewältigungs- und Einsatzkompetenzen im Studienverlauf und danach

Dr. Gerlind Pracht, Professor at the Police Academy

• Police practice between official mandate and public criticism. In German: Polizeipraxis zwischen staatlichem Auftrag und öffentlicher Kritik

Dr. Astrid Jacobsen, Dr. Jens Bergmann, Professors at the Police Academy, and Berit Merla

• Professional police knowledge – role perception and generational change. In German: Polizeiliches Professionswissen – Rollenverständnis und Generationswechsel

Dr. Stephanos Anastasiadis, Dr. Jens Bergmann, Professors at the Police Academy

• Work-related calling and performance for people with disabilities. In German: Arbeitsbezogene Berufung und Leistung für Menschen mit Behinderungen (ABLe)

Dr. Stephanos Anastasiadis, Professor at the Police Academy

• False accusations in cases of rape and sexual assault. In German: Falschbeschuldigungen bei Vergewaltigungen/sexuellen Nötigungen

Dr. Daniela Klimke, Professor at the Police Academy

• International course on cold case analysis by police and close-to-police educational institutions and university faculties. In German: Aufbau eines Internationalen Kurses zur Cold Case Analyse von polizeilichen und polizeinahen Bildungseinrichtungen und Fakultäten von Universitäten

Dr. Matthias Braasch, Professor at the Police Academy

• Jewish life and everyday life in Hamburg. In German: Jüdisches Leben und Alltag in Hamburg (LeAH)
• Political attitudes and social networks. In German: PoSon – Politische Einstellungen und soziale Netzwerke
• Meme, ideas and strategies in right-wing extremist online communication. In German: MISRIK – Meme, Ideen, Strategien rechtsextremistischer Internetkommunikation
• Democracy-relevant attitudes and values in the Hamburg Police. In German: Demokratiebezogene Einstellungen und Werthaltungen innerhalb der Polizei Hamburg (DeWePol)
• Prejudice-based behavior in urban spaces. In German: HateTown - vorurteilsgeleitete Handlungen in urbanen Räumen

Dr. Joachim Häfele, Professor at the Police Academy

Completed projects

• Video-based strategies against radicalization. In German: Videobasierte Strategien gegen Radikalisierung – VIDEOSTAR

Dr. Michael Fischer, Dr. Daniela Klimke, Professors at the Police Academy, and Dr. Sybille Reinke de Buitrago

• Patterns of use of public free spaces in the course of demographic change. In German: Nutzungsmuster öffentlich zugänglicher Freiräume im Zuge des demographischen Wandels

Dr. Joachim Häfele, Professor at the Police Academy (in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Agnes Förster a.o.)

Cooperation

• Structures and contexts of legally compliant police action – A qualitative study of the legal binding on the example of patrol duty of police in Lower Saxony. In German: Strukturen und Kontexte rechtskonformen Polizeihandelns - Eine qualitative Untersuchung zur Rechtsbindung am Beispiel des Streifendienstes der Polizei Niedersachsen

Prof. Dr. Andrea Kretschmann, University Leuphana Lueneburg

Further activities of the Institute include:

• the coordination of scientific cooperation
• the implementation and ensuring of standards for good scientific practice
• the organization of regular research colloquia
• the organization of workshops and conferences
• the coordination of requests for scientific expertise

Team

Head of Institute: Professor at the Police Academy Dr. Daniela Klimke

Deputy Head of Institute: Professor at the Police Academy Dr. Astrid Jacobsen

Manager of Institute: Dr. Sybille Reinke de Buitrago

Assistance: Michael Kopel