Dr Ashley Bloomfield
The use or non-use of evidence to inform public policy and practice was starkly highlighted during the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Generally, jurisdictions that directly informed their responses with evidence had the best health outcomes, especially among vulnerable groups, in particular reducing the number of deaths, and protected their health systems and health care workers.
The New Zealand response was directly informed by the best available, and frequently rapidly changing, evidence. This presentation will cover key lessons from the New Zealand response that highlight the challenges and opportunities for evidence-based policing, including:
• Evidence is not ‘values free’
• The importance of being clear about the values that are informing the use of evidence and decisions
• Different types of evidence, e.g. both quantitative and qualitative evidence, are useful and it is important not to ‘privilege’ certain evidence
• Trust is fundamental to effective public policy and practice and the appropriate and consistent use of evidence is a powerful tool for building and maintaining trust
• Building trust requires clear, consistent and honest communication, including when things don’t go right or when the evidence changes
• Lessons for navigating the boundary between evidence, intelligence and politics