Inspector Jack Stabler, an MSt student at the Institute of Criminology, received a Society of Evidence-Based Policing Innovation Award for the creation of the Cumbria Road Harm Index.
In 2023, Stabler attended the Cambridge Centre for Evidence-Based Policing, which inspired him to develop a new harm index aimed at reducing harm across the road network. Using Department for Transport prevention cost data, severity weightings were applied to different collision types to challenge the traditional assumption that all collisions should be treated equally and as ‘count’ only. Stabler sought to factor in the level of harm in different collisions.
The Road Harm Index was subsequently embedded within the Road Safety Partnership's approach to problem solving and has since undergone academic evaluation in partnership with Newcastle University. During the first two years of implementation, Cumbria Police recorded a 15% reduction in those killed or seriously injured on the county's roads.
Stabler has continued his professional development while undertaking an MSt in Applied Criminology and Police Management at the University of Cambridge. As part of this research, he has conducted a national survey exploring perceptions of the Road Harm Index and the challenges associated with its implementation.
"I am honoured to receive this award," said Stabler, "and I am deeply grateful for the support I have received from colleagues across Cumbria and from external forces that have since adopted this approach. Most importantly, however, this work is about saving lives and reducing harm on our roads."