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Introducing HRP’s Research Coordinator: Dr. Chris Giacomantonio
Yesterday, Halifax Regional Police welcomed Dr. Chris Giacomantonio as our Research Coordinator, a new role for the police service. He’s also the Atlantic Region Coordinator for the Canadian Society of Evidence-Based Policing.
In his role as HRP’s Research Coordinator, Dr. Giacomantonio is responsible for enhancing the use of research evidence to inform police practice and procedures, leading to the entrenchment of an Evidence-Based Policing approach in the organization. He also acts as a liaison between HRP and the academic community and develops research and development opportunities between the police and other community, safety and justice stakeholders.
Prior to joining HRP, Dr. Giacomantonio worked as a Senior Analyst with the European offices of the RAND Corporation, a not-for-profit policy research institute based in Cambridge. While in this role, he conducted research for UK institutions including the College of Policing, the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Ministry of Justice, and the Department of Health, as well as the European Commission. He is a qualitative and mixed-methodologist with experience in formative, summative, process and outcome evaluation.
Dr. Giacomantonio holds a PhD in Criminology from the University of Oxford. His doctoral research examined coordination and integration within and between police agencies in Canada, and his thesis was published in 2015 as an academic book, Policing Integration, with Palgrave MacMillan. He has conducted research internationally and published reports and papers dealing with issues including policing, counterterrorism, violence and public order, migration and municipal planning. He has organized a number of events encouraging knowledge exchange between academic researchers and police practitioners. Dr. Giacomantonio also holds a master's degree in Sociology from Dalhousie University and a B.A. in Criminology from Simon Fraser University.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Giacomantonio to Halifax Regional Police. We’re confident that he will create a culture of research literacy within HRP as well as augment our decision making capabilities, both of which support the direction of our 10-year Strategic Plan,” says Chief Jean-Michel (JM) Blais.
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