Stark statistics, shocking stories, and insights into policing methods were all part of the Evidence Based Policing Conference at the University of Worcester recently.
The event, attended by students, staff, and representatives from a host of organisations, addressed topics ranging from serious domestic abuse to deaths on our roads.
Speakers included world renowned criminology experts Professor Jane Monckton-Smith and Dr Gillian Harrop, as well as the Chief Constable of West Mercia Police.
Also speaking at the conference were the father of a woman who was killed by her ex-partner and the mother of a girl killed in a road traffic incident.
Nick Gazzard OBE’s daughter Hollie was just 20 when she was stabbed by her ex-boyfriend while she worked at a hair salon. He has since set up a trust in her name and campaigned to educate young people about domestic violence.
Professor Jane Monckton Smith opened the conference with the keynote address, where she discussed statistics relating to domestic abuse, honour killings and partner killings.
Professor Monckton-Smith also discussed cases she has worked on in recent years around coercive control and ‘staged homicide’, where a murder is staged as an accident or a suicide.
The conference also heard from Leanne Vaughan, the mother of 17-year-old Lily-May from Kidderminster, who was killed in a road traffic incident, and the Serious Collision Investigation Unit about how they lead investigations and how policing on the roads can prevent harm.
“Having once had my voice stifled by the criminal justice system, the invitation to speak at the conference was profoundly meaningful,” said Leanne.
She added: “If my words prompt even one person to reflect, Lily-May’s story will have made a difference.”
Michelle Clarke, Head of the School of Law at the University of Worcester, said: “The University of Worcester and the School of Law are committed to ensuring we do everything we can do to inform the discussion around how we reduce harm in our society, in all its forms.”
She continued: “This Evidence Based Policing Conference was a chance to look at the experience and expertise of some incredibly knowledgeable and influential people and see how it can be applied to modern policing methods.”
She added: “If we can change the course of behaviours in just one person, we could save a life. Events like this have the potential to enable those changes on a societal basis.”
“I’d like to thank every speaker,” she said. “From the Chief Constable and the experts, to the moving and powerful presentations by parents who have had their children taken away from them.
“Conversations like this can be very difficult to have, so it’s vital we don’t shy away from them.”
To read more about the vital work the Hollie Gazzard Trust is involved in, you can visit their website.
For information on courses at University of Worcester visit www.worcester.ac.uk or for application enquiries telephone 01905 855111 or email [email protected]