The Police Foundation said goodbye to its Director, Rick Muir, who left the Police Foundation last month to take up a new role at the Home Office.
Rick has had a truly transformational impact on the Police Foundation and during his 10-year tenure he raised the profile of the organisation so that it is now recognised as the foremost policing think tank, not just in the UK but globally. The publication of the Foundation’s Strategic Review of Policing in 2022 was a turning point, laying out a roadmap for police reform, much of which is now being pursued by the government. It is testament to Rick’s leadership in that he was able to galvanise a small team to complete such a huge piece of work. Everyone very much enjoyed working with him.
He said: “We are now a critical part of the policing ecosystem, contributing research, insight and ideas with the aim of improving policing for the benefit of the public.
“Our most important single initiative, the Strategic Review of Policing in England and Wales, published in 2022, laid out a roadmap for police reform much of which is now being pursued by government.
“The Foundation is a unique institution, not just in this country, but internationally. It is one of very few organisations in global policing that combines an independence from politics and the police, with being a constructive partner working at the interface between policing, government, academia and civil society.
“At a time when public trust and confidence in the police are strained and when the world around us is changing at a rapid pace, it is more important than ever that we have sources of independent thought leadership to inform police policy and practice.”
We wish Rick all the best in his well-deserved new role. Our Research Director Andy Higgins will take on the role of interim Director until September when we expect a new Director to be in post.