Since the early 1990s, the international community has been providing support to countries in the former Soviet bloc to assist in their transition from authoritarian states to democratic market economies. Two British research projects, developed independently of each other, attempted to use social science methods to assist educational institutions and practices, which would facilitate a reorientation of the police towards the public in the former Soviet states of Russia and Ukraine. An important objective of both projects was to encourage innovative approaches to improving the police’s relationship with the public. This article reviews the impact of the two British research projects and their impact on the policies and practices of the local police forces. It explores the ways in which the political, cultural, and ideological context with which the police operate impacts upon attitudes towards reform and the process of reform. The results of two 3-year applied research projects are drawn upon, investigating specific crime and policing issues in Russia and Ukraine, implementing pilot projects and evaluating their impact for future recommendations. The results indicate that significant barriers to reform persist, however, unprecedented levels of support were received from a wide range of agencies and organizations and the public. Any large-scale change within the police forces of the countries of the former Soviet Union will take time, and is largely dependent on these countries acquiring the political will to push through genuine reforms in the criminal justice arena. References