Research
Prof Alison conducts work in the following areas:
Critical Incident Decision Making (specifically decision inertia and the means by which to over come it). He has been funded by ARI, DARPA and The Home Office for this work
Investigative Interviewing and Interrogation (in Law Enforcement and Military). He has been funded by FBI, National Crime Faculty for this work
Risk Management and Prioritisation Tools for Law Enforcement in Child Sexual Abuses Cases. He has been funded by European Commission and Home Office for this work
Further details can be found at https://www.ground-truth.co.uk/publications
Research Interest 1
Critical incident decision making; decision inertia; simulation based learning.
Research groups
Research grants
Covid-SMART Release & Return
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE (UK)
February 2022 - July 2022
Big Hypotheses: A Fully Parallelised Bayesian Inference Solution
ENGINEERING & PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL
April 2018 - September 2024
‘The Birkenhead Drill’: An Exploratory Study of Expertise and Inertia in Emergency Service Responses to a CBRN / MTFA Live Exercise.
THE CENTRE FOR RESEARCH AND EVIDENCE ON SECURITY THREATS (CREST) (UK)
September 2016 - March 2018
Development and Utilisation of KIRAT and FIIP Tools.
AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE (AUSTRALIA)
September 2015 - May 2018
Research, Development and Training in Evidence Based Policing.
OFFICE OF THE POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER FOR NORFOLK (UK)
January 2015 - December 2017
Fighting International Internet Paedophilia – Phase Two.
HOME OFFICE (UK)
April 2015 - March 2017
Better Policing Collaborative: Police Knowledge Fund.
COLLEGE OF POLICING (UK)
November 2015 - June 2018
National centre for the study of critical incident decision making.
NATIONAL POLICING IMPROVEMENT AGENCY (UK)
August 2004 - September 2005
CENTREX Research Assistant.
NATIONAL POLICING IMPROVEMENT AGENCY (UK)
August 2004 - September 2007
Bayesian Analysis of Competing Cyber Hypotheses
ENGINEERING & PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL
October 2014 - October 2017
Examination of Critical Incident Debriefs in Disaster Manage and High Profile Investigations
METROPOLITAN POLICE SERVICE (UK)
October 2005 - October 2007
Multi agency responses to child protection and other critical incidents.
NATIONAL POLICING IMPROVEMENT AGENCY (UK)
August 2004 - January 2006
High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group (HIG): Intelligence Interviewing and Interrogation.
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO (USA)
April 2012 - September 2014
Critical incident research and investigative decision making
METROPOLITAN POLICE SERVICE (UK)
June 2007 - February 2014
Deconstructing offender profiles.
LEVERHULME TRUST (UK)
December 2005 - May 2007
Fighting International Internet Paedophilia (FIIP)
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
November 2012 - October 2015
Research collaborations
Detective Inspector Matt Long
Kent Police
This project focuses on risk assessment and investigation into use of abusive and indecent online images of children; in partnership with Kent Police under the umbrella of CEOP initiative (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) CEOP is part of U.K. policing dedicated to eradicating the sexual abuse of children; it exists to track offenders who offend against children and bring them to justice. It works in partnership with local and international forces (for the current project consulting with Kent Police). CEOP develops intelligence on the offenders (thinking and behaviour); how children and young people behave and make use of the Internet; and how technology is progressing. This partnered project with Kent Police will eventually deliver a suspect prioritisation tool for police use in investigating sexual abuse of children on the internet. The work will assist in: i) prioritising the large volume of online abusive images of children, according to risk; ii) develop strategies and methods for investigating the prioritised offenders; and iii) developing training for other police forces and relevant agencies in use of the risk assessment tool. The tool will assist officers in targeting and bringing to justice quickest, the gravest offenders.
HYDRA Operations
Metropolitan Police Service
Ongoing collaboration for organisational learning in two research strands: 1) simulation-based learning via HYDRA immersive systems and 2) development/refinement of 10kV debrief systems and debrief analysis of critical incidents, major incidents and/or criminal investigations.
Tier Three Interview Training Group
Merseyside Police
Knowledge Exchange project on Tier 3 Suspect Interviewing Course for police officers. The course forms part of a structured professional development programme. Tier 3 is a mandatory accreditation for officers interviewing individuals suspected of involvement in serious criminal investigations (e.g., murder, terrorist acts). Academic input centres on psychology of effective interview techniques (e.g., personal interaction styles).
Professor Kan Shi
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing
Three-day workshop with Beijing academics in counterpart research group to cross-fertilise ideas and research findings on decision making in adverse environments and critical incident management.
Dr. Majheed Khader
Singapore Home Team Academy
Knowledge Exchange collaboration between UoL and Singapore Home Team Academy: workshop on critical incident decision making for emrgency service responders.
Dr. Jon Cole
This was a project commissioned by the U.K. Home Office to prevent violent extremism. Along with two external collaborators (Dr. Ben Cole & Dr. Mark Kebbell) Dr. Jon Cole and I conducted a training needs analysis for public sector agencies in the awareness of radicalisation and countering violent extremism that might present risk of harm to the public.
Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security
Griffith University
The newly established Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security (with over $25 million) draws together world class scholars and industry partners to better understand a range of complex problems threatening the wellbeing and security of Australia.