Crime, Security and Justice Accelerator

USW supports police officer training in multiple police forces across England and Wales.

Following the introduction of the Policing Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF) to professionalise police officer training, USW became the first university in the UK to have its training for graduate police constables validated and have the first cohort to graduate, through a collaboration with Dyfed-Powys Police.  

USW also runs the Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP) and a three-year professional degree apprenticeship (PDCA) with Devon and Cornwall Police, Dorset Police, Gloucestershire Constabulary, and Wiltshire Police, covering more than 1200 police officers across both England and Wales.  

“This provision establishes USW as one of the largest and leading apprenticeship providers in the country, placing the University within the top quartile of Higher Education Institutions.” - Professor Peter Vaughan, Director of Strategic Projects in Policing and Security, USW  

“As policing grows more complex and demands on our services increase, we need people with the right skills and experiences to meet these challenging requirements. Creating a diverse and inclusive workforce is vital to meet our policing vision for the future. Policing is a highly rewarding career and this is a fantastic opportunity to pursue a varied role, while simultaneously being trained and supported to gain a recognised qualification.” - Julie Fielding, Assistant Chief Constable, Dorset Police 

EUCTER is a research-led excellence network, comprising of fourteen partners. It aims to advance cutting-edge blended learning formats with a strong policy relevance in the area of  EU Counter Terrorism. The project brings together three inter-related teaching and research areas: EU justice and home affairs, EU counter terrorism and EU external relations.

The objectives of EUCTER include the exploration and analysis of the development and practice of counter-terrorism cooperation and diplomacy in EU internal and external actions. It aims to contribute to a new understanding of the role of European institutions (EP, Commission, Council) in EU internal and external action by organising workshops and by providing subsidies for young international scholars. It also does this by organising teaching modules and events, and by contributing to international publications and they have created a virtual map of counter terrorism cooperation. 

“This is a game changer for research on EU counter-terrorism, and for Wales in particular. We live in a changing world where the idea of security is changing all the time. Funding allows us to further develop our interdisciplinary teaching and research activities and our international partnerships in the fields of security and policing. We are also planning a series of public engagement events, so that we can disseminate the knowledge we produce as widely as possible” - Professor Christian Kaunert, Director of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, and the International Centre for Policing and Security at USW

“If we are to look at issues of security, we need to consider the wider picture and how it shapes the decisions of policy-makers and organisations around the world. This is the only centre in Europe that will take this broad approach and it is fitting it is based here in South Wales, where we have the requisite blend of experience across a wide range of disciplines and excellence in research and teaching that will give us the base to carry out this work." - Professor Sarah Leonard, Co-Director of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence and Professor of International Security at UWE Bristol

USW is putting the future of cyber expertise at the heart of all it does.  

The University is recognised by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) as an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education. USW has also been named Cyber University of the Year for four years running.  

Working in partnership with Welsh Government and global technology leader Thales, USW leads the Education strand at the National Digital Exploitation Centre (NDEC) in Ebbw Vale - the first research and development facility of its kind in Wales. 

USW has an excellent relationship with the NCSC, hosting the CyberFirst Girls Competition at its Newport campus, and working closely with schools to develop their cyber security activities. USW also delivers a Cyber Skills Inspiration project to 11-14-year-olds. These activities, alongside USW’s range of cyber courses and degree apprenticeships, means it is significantly contributing to closing the cyber skills gap.  

“As a recognised leader in the sector, USW is committed to providing opportunities for the next generation of cyber security professionals, who can ensure the industry can handle the evolving challenges it will continue to face.” - Professor Paul Harrison, Pro-Vice Chancellor, USW 

“The NCSC’s work with industry plays a vital part in promoting cyber security careers and helping young people gain the experience, skills and exposure they need to excel in the field. 

“NDEC has been a key partner in promoting cyber security career and study pathways to students in Welsh schools and colleges, and has supported our CyberFirst Schools programme since it was launched at NDEC in February 2020. 

“The Centre’s ability to reach out into the Welsh education sector has made NDEC a trusted stakeholder and we look forward to our continued collaboration.” - Chris Ensor, Deputy Director for Cyber Growth, NCSC 

USW and Cardiff-based Virtual Reality (VR) enterprise specialists Immersity have agreed a partnership which will see the technology used for educational training.  

Immersity’s VR system will initially be used by students working towards qualifications in forensics and aircraft maintenance. As the technology is expanded across the institution, students on a wider range of courses will be able to use the system.  

USW already uses simulation systems to support learning, particularly its Hydra Suite. This is an immersive environment for simulated scenarios used on a variety of courses, including Police Sciences, Nursing, Social Work, Public Health, Business, and Marketing.

USW has partnered with Immersity, whose specific technical expertise can create content for use in the virtual world, which can be synced with academic expertise and enhance the teaching and learning experience.  

“The immersive technology will be supporting and enhancing learning as opposed to replacing real-life experiences. Once we have demonstrated the success of these pilot projects, we will be seeking to widen the relationship and start projects in other subject areas.” - Nathalie Czechowski, Chief Information Officer, USW 

 “When Covid-19 hit, it was no longer practical to have groups of students in such an enclosed space. We recreated a similar environment on our VR platform, and now students will have the opportunity to receive this training anytime, anywhere. Now that we’ve created this VR platform, we can build literally any environment in it within a quick timeframe to continue growing, especially in the fields of education and training. There is no limit to the ways this technology can be used.” - Hugh Sullivan, CEO, Immersity 

This centre conducts collaborative research with, and for, local and national government. They engage with a wide range of policy and practice experts and have won research funds from prestigious national sources.

Researchers have specialisms in homicide and violence, policing, and youth justice and youth policy.

There are also experts in the prison system and related issues such as probation, the rehabilitation and resettlement of offenders, and prisoners; children and families. The Centre also researches substance misuse, green, global and transnational criminology, crime prevention, animal abuse, informal justice and alternatives to prosecution and imprisonment. They also work with the International Centre for Policing and Security, and the Centre for Social Policy Research. 

Find out more about the Centre for Criminology

This centre undertakes research that informs UK and EU governments. It specialises in key security issues such as terrorism, political violence, cybercrime and warfare and transnational organised crime. The Centre is involved with national and international research networks and is highly regarded by European institutions and agencies, notably Europol.  

The Centre's work is divided into two broad themes:  

• Terrorism and Security Research, which includes international security of drugs, human trafficking, and geopolitics.  
• Policing Research which focuses on impactive research outcomes to improve, not only police activities, but the delivery of policing services for the community. 

Find out more about The International Centre for Policing and Security

The Cyber Security Research Group is concerned with the security of data, software, components, connections, systems, humans, organisations, and society. They place emphasis on cross-cutting concepts such as forensic analysis, confidentiality, integrity, availability, risk, adversarial thinking, and systems thinking.  

Their research is informed by strong relationships with industry, government agencies and academia in the delivery of operationally focused applied cyber security research.

The Cyber Security Research Group is particularly interested in the interplay between situational awareness, computer networks, computer forensics and vulnerability development.  

Find out more about the Cyber Security Research Group

This centre is a leading hub for social and public policy analysis. It offers policymakers and professionals fresh thinking, new evidence, and innovative solutions. This helps them with the challenges they face in effecting change and improvement in public service organisation and delivery.

There are strengths in a range of areas of social and public policy, including wellbeing; citizen involvement and participation; governance and scrutiny; equality and outcome assessments.

The Centre has been successful in securing external grants, including local government and other external stakeholders. They have a close collaboration with the field of criminal justice, policing, terrorism and security. 

Find out more the Centre for Social Policy Research

Forensic science research is driven by our backgrounds as practitioners – either working with UK police, forensic service providers or through academia. There is an interest in applied science projects that have practical applications in forensic case work scenarios.  Much of the research is based around Masters and Masters by Research projects, often in collaboration with industrial partners.

Current research focuses on several areas of developing and utilising techniques for the analysis of trace evidence, toxicology, and biological fluids and DNA. The multidisciplinary research involves a wide collaboration with industry, academia, and government.