NWA-ORC grant awarded for research project DE-ESCALATING

The Onderzoek op Routes door Consortia (In English: Research on Routes by Consortia) (ORC) programme of the Nationale Wetenschapsagenda (In English: National Science Agenda) (NWA) has awarded funding to nine consortia. Each project will receive around 6.7 million euros. Within the NWA programme, the connection between society and science is essential. Governments, researchers, social organisations and citizens jointly develop and utilise knowledge to achieve scientific and social impact.

De-escalation of aggression between citizens and frontline workers

Too often, aggression arises between citizens and people who work in law enforcement, healthcare, public transport and service provision. The DE-ESCALATING project investigates how situations, people involved and their interactions play a role in this.

The researchers analyze videos of real-life situations, in combination with stress measurements and the motives and experiences of citizens and professionals. Strategies are then developed to prevent or reduce aggression and violence, and the effectiveness of these de-escalation strategies is investigated. In this project, practitioners collaborate with scientists to make professionals better at de-escalating aggression in their work.

Lindegaard: "I am extremely enthusiastic about the opportunity to work together with frontline workers and scientists alike, to learn from their actual encounters with citizens and hands on experiences and perspectives, in order to provide better understandings and solutions to prevent violence at work."

About Marie Rosenkrantz Lindegaard

Prof. Dr. Marie Rosenkrantz Lindegaard obtained a degree in Anthropology from the University of Copenhagen and went on to obtain a doctorate in Anthropology from the UvA. She has worked for NSCR since 2008, and has been a senior researcher since 2016. In addition, she is a professor by special appointment of Dynamics of Crime and Violence at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) since 2020. Her research focuses on understanding processes of de-escalation and peacekeeping behavior during interpersonal conflicts, on the street and in work life settings. She uses ethnography, computer vision tools and video analysis in her work, with the aim of contributing to violence prevention and a sense of safety in public.

Consortium

The consortium consists of: Aanpak Criminaliteitsfenomenen, Ministerie van Justitie en Veiligheid, ARQ Nationaal Psychotrauma Centrum, Arriva, Belangenbehartiging Koninklijke Horeca Nederland, BOVAG, Centrum voor Criminaliteitspreventie en Veiligheid, De Haagse Hogeschool (HHS), Dirk van den Broek, EBS Public Transportation B.V., Fivoor, GVB, KEOLIS, Maastricht University, Nationale Politie, NCSR, Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), Nederlandse Veiligheidsbranche, NWO-institutenorganisatie, Platform Veilig ondernemen, Pluryn, PPS Security B.V., Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Taskforce onze hulpverleners veilig, Tilburg University, Universitair Medisch Centrum Utrecht, Universiteit Twente, Universiteit Utrecht, Universiteit van Amsterdam, University of Copenhagen, Veiligheidsregio en Brandweer Haaglanden, Vereniging Nederlandse Gemeenten, Verwey-Jonker Instituut, VNO-NCW en MKB Nederland, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

About the Nationale Wetenschapsagenda

The National Science Agenda is a research programme of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) commissioned by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). The NWA finances scientific research, studies social issues and shows how science works. It always concerns themes that play a major role in society.

The NWA programme Research on Routes by Consortia (ORC) is aimed, among other things, at making innovation possible together with partners, both within and outside science, that bring scientific and social breakthroughs within reach.

Read the press release on the website of the NWO.