Profile summary
I work as the Deputy Director in the Canterbury Policing Research Centre which was launched in 2016. The Centre aims to conduct research that focuses on both involving and assisting the police practitioner.
I am currently working for the College of Policing on the RPEL workstrand of the Police Education Qualification Framework project. The aim of this strand is to develop a consistent method whereby officers can gain credits for their previous training and experience.
I deliver two of the modules on the BSc in service Policing programme and supervise a number of dissertation students who are in their third year of the programme. I also programme direct the MSc by research in policing.
Prior to this I worked as a senior researcher at the Metropolitan Police Service conducting operational and strategic research on priority issues and developed practical outputs to guide evidence based police practice and training. I also worked for two years, as part of a secondment process from the MPS, at the Ministry of Justice as a principle researcher conducting and advising on evaluations of various criminal justice policy. I previous taught at The University of North London (now Metropolitan University) and Brunel University. I am undertaking my PhD at Southbank University on the police treatment of victims of sexual violence. I am exploring this in the context of credible police work and the measurement of performance both by the organisation and by peers. My research interests are policing and victims of interpersonal crime, police professionalism, the use of research and education in policing, public perceptions and confidence in the police and community policing. I undertook a range of research projects on these areas whilst working in the MPS.
I have a blog which students, academics and practitioners contribute to: https://cccupolicingandcj.wordpress.com/
Research and knowledge exchange
My background has been very much grounded in research and I have in depth knowledge of the development and conducting of operational action research. I have worked on a range of qualitative research projects including an exploration of the drivers of public confidence in the police and the MPS rape review which sought to understand victims typologies of those reporting to the MPS. I have also worked on various evaluations into street crime and drug related initiatives and developed, before I left, the methodology on the evaluation on neighbourhood justice panels and flexible CJS options whilst I was at the Ministry of Justice. I have conducted freelance consultancy work for Ipsos Mori reviewing research tenders and worked on the Surrey University on the reassurance policing project which informed the development of Safer Neighbourhood Policing in London.
Teaching and subject expertise
I have developed and delivered training courses on research findings and recommendations including training for rape investgators (vulnerable victim input) and community police officers (drivers of public confidence and the importance of information provision). I worked as a lecturer on the gender and crime degree programme at North London University and on the criminology degree at Brunel University.
External activities
Key note speaker at the 2016 London problem solving awards - Metropolitan Police Service
I have presented a range of conference papers:
Williams, E. and Norman, J. (2016) 'Putting Learning into Practice: Self reflections from Cops - CEPOL conference 5-7th October 2016
Williams, E. (2012) 'Never the Twain Shall Meet? The Relationship between Academia and the Police in an age of Austerity' Third Annual Conference of the Higher Education Forum for Learning and Development in Policing
Williams, E. (2010)’ Being a Researcher within the Force’ MPS Masterclass conference
Williams, E & Walker, A.(2010) ‘Confidence: What works?’ British Society of Criminology, Leicester
Williams, E & Norman, J. (2009) ‘Being an outsider within’ Guest Lecture, Canterbury Christ Church University
Williams, E. (2009) ‘Rape and Vulnerability’ British Society of Criminology Conference, Cardiff – 29th June-1st July 2011
Stanko, E & Williams, E. (2009) ‘The drivers of public confidence’ Hampshire Police Partnership Conference
Williams, E & Stanko, E (2008) ‘MPS Rape Review: exploring attrition’ British Society of Criminology, Huddersfield
Williams, E (2004) ‘Female victims or any victim: Is it all about gender’ British Society of Criminology, Portsmouth 2004
I am listed as a operational research contact for Independent Social Research http://www.independentsocialresearch.co.uk/researchers/
I am a regular Tweeter and am very involved in the on line disussion group @wecops. This group organises bi-weekely discussions on Twitter focused on a range of policing issues.
Publications and research outputs
Along with a wealth of internal research projects at the MPS my publications are:
Wood, D. and Williams, E. (2016) 'The Politics of Establishing Reflexivity as a Core Component of Good Policing' in Armstrong, S. Blaustein, J. and Henry. A (Eds.) Reflexivity and Criminal Justice: Intersections of Policy, Practice and Research London: Palgrave
Williams, E and Stanko, B. (2016) 'Researching Sexual Violence' In Brunger, M., Tong, S. and Martin, D Policing Research: Taking lessons from Practice Routledge: London
Horvath, M.A.H., Tong, S. & Williams, E. (2011). Critical issues in rape investigation: an overview of reform in England and Wales. The Journal of Criminal Justice Research, 1(2), available from http://www.icjrc.org/jcjr_research_papers|
Jacobs, S and Williams, E. (2010) ‘Preliminary Well Being Report into Sickness and Absenteeism within Women Officers and Staff’. British Transport Police internal paper
Williams, E. (2010) ‘Three BOCU Improving Confidence Report’. MPS, Strategic Research and Analysis Unit internal paper
Williams, E. Norman, J. & Wunsch, D. (2009) Too Little Too Late: Assessing Vulnerability. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, Volume 3 (4)
Stanko, B. Williams, E. (2009) ‘Reviewing Rape and Rape Allegations in London: What are the vulnerabilities of the victims who report to the police?’ In Horvarth, M & Brown, J. Rape: Challenging contemporary thinking. Devon: Willan Publishing
Dawson, P. Williams, E. (2009) Reflections from a Police Research Unit – An Inside Job. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, Volume 3(4)