Richard Harding

Richard Harding is a Senior Research Fellow at Anglia Ruskin University's Centre of Excellence for Equity in Uniformed Public Services (CEEUPS), specializing in evidence-based approaches for organizational change within public sector policing. His work focuses on improving rape and serious sexual offence (RASSO) investigations through collaborative projects with law enforcement agencies across England and Wales, leveraging his prior 20+ years of operational experience as a UK police officer.

His academic credentials include:

• MSc in Police Leadership and Management from the University of Warwick
• PG Dip in Police Leadership and Management from the University of Warwick

Harding's research centers on the interplay between organizational/occupational cultures, institutional change mechanisms, and competing frameworks of public value and legitimacy within policing contexts. His investigations into RASSO units reveal critical connections between workforce wellbeing, burnout triggers, and procedural legitimacy, emphasizing co-production with frontline practitioners to develop sustainable reforms. The work bridges theoretical criminology with actionable police practice through mixed-methods analysis.

Analysis of his 2021-2024 publications shows consistent focus on RASSO investigation systems, with evolving emphasis from burnout diagnostics (2022-2023) toward public value theory integration (2024). Methodologically, his team employs segmentation analysis, reflective practice frameworks, and legitimacy theory to address systemic failures, creating interdisciplinary bridges between criminology, organizational psychology, and public administration.

He actively contributes to scholarly discourse through memberships in the European Society of Criminology, British Academy of Management, and British Society of Criminology Policing Network, regularly presenting at ESRC-funded conferences on policing innovation.

Harding leads Project Soteria-Bluestone's research arm, a multi-institutional consortium with policing partners that develops evidence-based toolkits for RASSO investigators. The project operates through embedded researcher placements and practitioner-academic co-design workshops, creating real-time feedback loops between research findings and operational policing practices.