Global security figures quizzed in The Policing Conversation podcast

Lecturer James Williams is creating a fresh buzz around his subject by interviewing some of the biggest global figures in policing and security.

His podcast – The Policing Conversation – features chat with a diverse and influential crowd – including chief constables, prosecutors, journalists and researchers.

His credits to date include New Yorker Alex Vitale, author of The End of Policing, Lawrence Sherman, founder of the Cambridge Centre for Evidence and Majd Hindi, a community policing specialist in Baghdad.

Recently he interviewed Jason Burke from The Guardian/Observer who is arguably the world’s leading authority on Al Qaeda, and the first to report on their rise. Other credits include the chief of the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and current Chief Constable of Merseyside Serena Kennedy, as well as colleagues in the Liverpool Centre for Advanced Policing Studies, such as Dr Laura Boulton, Professor Steve Finnegan and Dr Amanda Farrell.

Also in his sights is BBC Security Correspondent Gordon Correra but that chat has yet to be firmed up.

James says he’s getting the hang of the presenter role: “I do it on a very relaxed basis and try and pull out areas that I believe people would find interesting. I start by asking what policing means to my guest, and that sets the tone because among my aims is to stress the variety of careers linked to justice, policing and security.

“My original aim was to make people aware that there are different routes into policing and not just by going through the police officer route.”

Peter Williams, a senior lecturer in the School of Justice, says he found the Jason Burke interview fascinating: “It was a really good interview and he’s following it up with one with Clarence Augustus ‘Gus’ Martin from California State University, whose books on terrorism and homeland security sit in our library!

“These are big hitters in our field and it reflects well on LCPAS and that we can attract them.”

‘The Policing Conversation’ can be found on:- https://shows.acast.com/thepc-the-policing-conversation