About Us

The Centre for Investigative Psychology, at The University of Liverpool has an excellent applied research history and is internationally recognised for its innovative approaches to the solving of practical problems across a range of organisations and government departments. The research staff have particular knowledge of, and expertise in, criminal behaviour and psychological aspects of policing. The work carried out at the Centre leads the world in its understanding of offenders and offending behaviour from a policing perspective. The Centre for Investigative Psychology is often asked to give specialist opinions and advice to ongoing police investigations and court cases. The founder and Director of the Centre for Investigative Psychology and the M.Sc. in Investigative Psychology, Professor David Canter is an internationally known applied social researcher. He has published over 20 books and over 150 papers in learned professional journals and lectured around the world on various aspects of scientific psychology. Professor Canter has published numerous articles on criminal behaviour and police investigation. Along with other Research and Lecturing staff at the Centre for Investigative Psychology, Professor Canter has run a number of short courses and seminars for police officers and other professionals on a variety of aspects of the psychology of criminal investigation and crime. The six-part TV documentary series he has written and presents was recently screened on television.

Centre for Critical Incident Research:

CCIR brings together existing expertise into a community whose focus is to understand processes of critical incident management in law enforcement and security challenges. Prof. Laurence Alison (School of Psychology, University of Liverpool) and Prof. Jonathan Crego (Director of the National Centre for Applied Learning Technologies, Metropolitan Police) jointly co-ordinate this activity. CCIR is represented by several other staff and students involved in research on decision making, leadership, stress and emotions connected to and as a product of working on critical incidents (www.incscid.org). CCIR also has unique links with a panel of 'elders' from the practitioner community. CCIR has been involved in informing policy making and intellectual contributions in a number of high profile enquiries and incidents, including the Bichard enquiry, The Hackney Siege, Cabinet Ministers Groups, anti-corruption investigations, and most recently, in debriefing the UK Baghdad negotiating team. This work has attracted the attention of the UK police, the fire service, specialist operations, including organised crime, the intelligence services and, more recently, the UN in New York. This combination of academic expertise, access to state of the art research facilities and engagement with relevant user groups makes CCIR an internationally unique Research Centre.