POLICING experts from Canada have turned detective to see what they can learn from colleagues in Cumbria.

Senior policing academics Dr Gary Ellis and Dr Glenn Hanna, from Toronto, have visited the University of Cumbria.

They have met with counterparts from Cumbria University's policing department with the aim of considering collaborative crime projects.

The pair manage the Justice Studies programme at the University of Guelph-Humber in Toronto.

They have extensive experience in policing retiring as senior officers with more than 32 years of service each.

Their experiences range from general uniformed duties in either small isolated Arctic communities or walking a beat in Canada's largest city, plain clothes investigations in homicide, sex crimes, organized crime, or national security, undercover operations, and senior command positions.

"Policing is increasingly a global issue and we’re keen to have a chance to learn from each other," said Dr Ellis.

Julian Parker-McLeod, director of the University of Cumbria's centre of excellence for policing studies, said: "There are real opportunities to collaborate with Canada which has very similar legal and criminal-related issues. We’ll be exploring further areas where we can look to collaborate in the future."