Professor Jason Roach to lead the University's Secure Societies Institute (SSI)

WITH a new director at the helm of the University’s Secure Societies Institute (SSI) the future looks bright as plans are put in place to revive opportunities for researchers and crime practitioners to come together to develop innovative solutions to real-world crime, policing and security problems.

The new Director of the SSI is the University’s Professor of Crime and Policing Jason Roach who is currently also the Director of the University’s Applied Criminology and Policing Centre. 

Professor Roach is planning to further develop the work of the SSI and to raise the international and public profile of the Institute which he admits has needed reenergising after the global pandemic forced the Institute to grind to a halt cancelling many of its activities and collaborative events.

Working collaboratively to address global security challenges

With a potential membership of over 100 University staff and post-graduate researchers, the SSI serves to bring together knowledge, skills, methodologies and expertise from diverse disciplines such as forensic science, architecture, product design, digital forensics, policing, law, forensic podiatry, as well as the more traditional crime focused ones such as criminology and psychology. 

Research staff and students from across the University’s six Schools can then collaborate and work together addressing global security challenges as diverse as terrorism, modern slavery, child sexual abuse and cybercrime.

Professor Roach explained that the Institute has the same purpose and function it had before, to facilitate the bringing together of researchers and practitioners who work, or have an interest in, security, policing and crime, not just from within the University but also internationally, forging links and collaborations with high-calibre universities and research agencies around the world. 

The research, he said, will continue to be practitioner-led, ensuring that solutions are directly influenced by the needs of those working to reduce crime and terrorist threats and to build stronger, safer communities. 

“We are planning to hold a series of lunchtime workshops,” said Professor Roach. 

“These will be led initially by local practitioners from within Kirklees and West Yorkshire and attended by as many SSI members as possible so as to address a particular pressing problem. 

“We will then work together to generate potential solutions or come up with external funding bid ideas so research can be carried out to address the problems highlighted,” he added.  

The New SSI Steering Group

Professor Roach announced that Tom Wheatley, Governor of Wakefield Prison, had kindly agreed to deliver the very first workshop of the series, at a time and date to be confirmed soon.

In the meantime, Professor Roach has been busy putting his plans into action with the establishment of a new SSI Steering Group which consists of at least two representatives from each of the University’s six Schools.  Well-governed and well executed, a Steering Group can be a valuable mechanism in helping drive a big change forward, providing support and guidance whilst also keeping an eye on progress to ensure everything stays on track. 

“The Secure Societies Institute is built on the premise of sharing the knowledge that we already have, but also adding value to produce something exciting, innovative and truly inter-disciplinary,” said Professor Roach who has co-authored four books, nine book chapters, and written over 30 research papers on topics including Self-Selection Policing, investigative decision making, criminal investigation, counter-terrorism, child homicide, crime prevention and many other wider policing and crime issues. He is also Editor-in Chief of the Police Journal.

Professor Roach is encouraging staff who are interested in the work of the SSI and/or becoming a member to contact him directly on j.roach@hud.ac.uk.