We titled this volume The Future of Evidence-Based Policing, because in it we sought to take stock of where the field of EBP has been and where it is heading. In this concluding chapter we address the latter question, and make the argument that the future of EBP as a meaningful paradigm with substantial influence on police practice lies in a better science of policing. Based on the contributions in our volume, we identify and elaborate on six key areas where improvement in the science of policing is required. These include “second generation” studies, the quality and breadth of scientific methods, comparative research, the science of street level behavior, implementation science, and normative dimensions.

Questions of causality are central to evidence-based policing (EBP), and have been occupying policing scholars in numerous areas. Experiments are considered the “gold standard” for determining causality, but they are not without limitations and are not always feasible. The present chapter explores the potential contribution of “subjective causality” to policing research. Subjective causality is a complementary, qualitative approach to establishing causality, in which relationships are examined and causality is determined through the subjective lens of the individual. Such an explicit approach to causality is uncommon in qualitative research in policing, and could assist in overcoming some of the challenges of the field. In this chapter we demonstrate how subjective causality can contribute to policing by focusing on an area where establishing causality is receiving particular attention: the presumed effect of police-provided procedural justice on police legitimacy. We use in-depth interviews with protestors who participated in “Occupy Israel” demonstrations in 2012 to explore how qualitative data can be used to identify the subjective, causal relationships that individuals make in their own minds between procedural jusice and legitimacy. We also discuss the applicability and potential contribution of this method to policing research more generally.