Festival of Crime Schedule

You'll find the following exhibitions in this building:

• "There's been a murder" interactive activity
• Crime scene and forensic science exhibit
• Royal Military Police forensic investigation
• Wildlife crime exhibit
• Criminal justice and missing persons exhibit
• Hampshire Search and Rescue
• Metropolitan Police Forensic Science Unit
• Hampshire Police Forensic Services
• Cybercrime, economic crime and cybersecurity exhibit
• Café and refreshments

The Young Criminologists Room (Family Room) for children of primary school age featuring arts and crafts activities is located on the 1st floor.

You'll find the following exhibitions in this building:

• Students Union, placements and student centre
• History of Crime Exhibit
• Meet the author: Elly Griffiths
• Arthur Conan Doyle exhibit
• Hayling Island Books
• Virtual reality and crime exhibit
• Distance Learning Operation Shadow - Interactive investigation
• Psychology and crime exhibit

All presentations take place in Lecture Theatre 1, 2 and 3 - found in this building

You'll find the following exhibitions in this building:

• Hampshire Police
• University Police Education Team
• Ramora: Explosive ordinance disposal
• Victimology and partners exhibit
• Forensic linguistics
• Community justice and probation teams
• Grow Transform Belong
• Future technology centre
• Thames Valley Police
• Police fitness test area
• Café and refreshments
• First aid

The University of Portsmouth has a functioning courtroom used for simulation exercises in law and criminology. Tours of the courtroom will depart from the Welcome Desk in Portland building at 10:45 and 13:45.

Student guides will take visitors to Anglesea Court where there will be law experts on hand to discuss how the court operates and you can be the judge for the day!

Time: 11:30am

Speaker/Panel: Colin White and Paul Smith

Duration: 30 mins

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to manage a crime scene? In this interactive lecture, former senior police investigators take you through the response to a crime! But, you will call the shots, what will you do?

Time: 12:30pm

Speaker/Panel: Nick Marsh, Metropolitan Police

Duration: 30 mins

We take photography for granted these days, our mobile phones allow us to capture the world around us at any time. This presentation provides an insight into how photography and imaging is used in forensic investigations. Nick Marsh has over 30 years’ experience working in the forensic imaging unit with the Metropolitan Police, come and hear this intriguing overview of a fascinating facet of the investigation.

Time: 1:15pm

Speaker/Panel: Elly Griffiths

Duration: 30 mins

We are thrilled to have bestselling author Elly Griffiths with us for the Festival of Crime. The popularity of crime fiction fuels a wide fascination in crime and mystery, the real world is very different of course! In this presentation Elly provides an insight into what inspired her to write and how she sees crime fiction and fact working together. There will be time to ask questions and Elly will be signing books in the Richmond Building.

Time: 2:00pm

Speaker/Panel: Becky Milne

Duration: 30 mins

At the heart of many TV dramas is the police interview of suspects. Over the years dramatisation has shown police officers thumping tables, finger pointing using strategies such as good cop bad cop. But what is the reality?

Forensic psychology has a history of research impacting upon the real world. One key area that demonstrates this influence is investigative interviewing. This session will examine the world of police interviewing, how psychologists have helped develop ways to interview the most hardened criminal to the most vulnerable victim.

Prof. Milne, a forensic psychologist, has worked with the police in the UK and around the world for over 25 years advising real cases – such as terror attacks, Sarah Everard case, war crimes, and she trains the police advanced interviewing practices.

Time: 10:30am

Speaker/Panel: Jacki Tapley

Duration: 15 mins

How well do you really know the criminal justice system? Do you know what happens if you become a victim of crime and what your entitlements are? This talk will outline some of the changes being introduced by the Victim and Prisoners Bill currently passing through Parliament

Time: 11:00am

Speaker/Panel: Bing Han

Duration: 15 mins

Ever heard of the pig-butchering scam? It’s not your typical romance fraud—it’s caused quite a stir in China with significant financial losses. In this scam, scammers calling their victims “pigs,” social platforms becoming “pig pens,” and chat scripts labelled as “pig feed.”

The relationship between scammers and victims is akin to that between a butcher and their prey, hence the name. Let’s dive into the world of scams and discover some of the latest romance scams you need to watch out for.

Time: 11:30am

Speaker/Panel: Paul Gilmour

Duration: 15 mins

The iconic image of mafia mobsters and depictions of heavily tattooed gangsters, as ‘men of honour and tradition’ have become synonymous with organised crime. Explore the various types of mafia gangs that operate across the globe, the problem that organised crime presents to society, and how organised criminals launder ‘dirty money’.

Time: 12:00pm

Speaker/Panel: Iain Reid 

Duration: 15 mins

Is your computer network under attack? Bad guys trying to steal your personal data? Find out how cyber deception may be deployed as a cyber security strategy for increasing resilience and fighting back in protecting your computer systems.

Time: 12:30pm

Speaker/Panel: Piers Rochford (Hampshire Constabulary)

Duration: 15 mins

Digital Sleuths – Law Enforcement’s Evolution to a Digital Age. This presentation examines the significant role of cyber and cyber-related fraud, constituting over half of all crimes reported annually to UK law enforcement. It offers a detailed exploration of the changes in the cybercrime landscape and the corresponding responses by local law enforcement over the past three decades.

Time: 1:00pm

Speaker/Panel: Francis Pakes

Duration: 15 mins

I spent time living the life of a prisoner in two of Iceland’s open prisons, as a researcher. I wanted to understand these prisons from the inside. I had my own cell, spent the day as prisoners do, and interviewed everyone who was happy to speak with me. I will show you some pictures of these places to help you understand how prisons in Iceland are different and perhaps better suited to prepare prisoners for a life after prison.

Time: 1:30pm

Speaker/Panel: Cdr Phil Gibbs RN(Rtd) (PhD student)

Duration: 15 mins

Education in Prison: I spent time in a prison for fraud. Now I study education in prison and will share my thoughts and experiences with you. My PhD research examines further and higher education in prison.

I spent 10 months in Winchester Prison for fraud. I wanted to better myself during this time but was left frustrated. I now would like my experience to seek to find ways in which education in prison can be improved to make prison more productive for some prisoners.

Time: 2:00pm

Speaker/Panel: Richard Spreckley VR

Duration: 15 mins

With 30 years in civil and military policing, Richard will explore the various routes into the thin blue line and how the current degree entry programs support a successful career in law enforcement.

Time: 2:30pm

Speaker/Panel: Ben Keysell and Michelle McDermott

Duration: 15 mins

What methods might be most effective in helping people to move away from a life of crime? This talk will briefly introduce two key approaches- you will be given an opportunity to vote both before and after for which one you feel is most suitable!

Time: 3:00pm

Speaker/Panel: Chris Pittard

Duration: 15 mins

Enter the world of Arthur Conan Doyle, and the fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes. Dr Christopher Pittard, an expert in late Victorian detective fiction, provides a fascinating insight into Arthur Conan Doyle and the creation of his world famous detective while working as a GP in Portsmouth.

We’ll look at the changing character of Holmes, how Doyle represents late nineteenth and early twentieth century criminological theory, and how Doyle was influenced by Portsmouth’s cultural scene.

Time: 3:30pm

Speaker/Panel: Zack White

Duration: 15 mins

Britain’s most successful commander, the Duke of Wellington, described the men that he commanded during Britain’s conflict in the Napoleonic Wars as ‘the scum of earth’ who were impossible to command. It’s a claim that has dominated how we have looked at the troops who played an integral role in defeating France and the ‘military genius’ of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Yet this raises a question: if British troops were so badly behaved, why were they so successful at beating the French? Using data from an unprecedented study of over 9,000 trials in the British Army during this period, this talk lifts the curtain on how discipline was maintained in the force, what was tried, why certain crimes were ignored, and asks whether the British army’s approach to punishment was really as brutal as our fixation with flogging suggest.

Please note: This talk will contain discussion of physical and sexual violence which may not be suitable, or be triggering, for some listeners.

Time: 11:00am

Speaker/Panel: Lisa Sugiura, Sharon Holland, Cllr Kirsty Mellor Lynne (AND)

Duration: 1 hour

Domestic abuse involves emotional, controlling, and coercive abuse, not just physical violence, that can play a pivotal role in the development of suicide risk factors in victims. Abused women continue to die by suicide in numbers estimated to exceed those killed by their partners or ex-partners.

After suffering what police described as a “horrific campaign of coercive and controlling behaviour,” 23-year-old Chloe Holland from Portsmouth, died by suicide. Chloe’s mother has started a campaign to create a statutory offence of manslaughter by coercive and controlling behaviour.

Sharon Holland will discuss Chloe’s case and why she is determined to change the law and save lives. There will also be support from victim advocates and domestic abuse service providers.

Please note: this talk includes distressing content; therefore, it is only suitable for persons aged 16 and over. No one under this age will be admitted.

Time: 12:00pm

Speaker/Panel: Sarah Lewis

Duration: Workshop

Join the team of Grow Transform Belong and discuss whether our Criminal Justice System needs an upgrade. With a range of speakers with lived experience of working and living in prison, we will outline the key issues facing the prison system today and how an upgrade could reduce future victims and create better neighbours, through an effective rehabilitation-focused approach.

Time: 1:30pm

Speaker/Panel: Peter Trickner

Duration: 15 minutes

Dr Peter Tickner, author of ‘How to be a Successful Frauditor’ and ‘The Successful Frauditor’s Casebook’ will discuss some of the famous fraud cases from his books. He will give a unique insight into how the frauds were committed and how the fraudsters were eventually caught.

Time: 2:00pm

Speaker/Panel: Lisa Burke, Metropolitan Police Forensic Services People and Innovation Manager

Duration: 30 minutes

In this presentation Lisa Burke, the People and Innovation Manager for scientific services in the Metropolitan Police Service, will provide information on the available careers in the forensic sector.

As a senior manager in the UK’s largest police organisation, Lisa will give insight into the pathways available and a unique insight into how to plan for a career in forensic science and associated roles.

Time: 3:00pm

Speaker/Panel: April Smith & students

Duration: 30 minutes

Please join us for an informal discussion with our alumni to explore the exciting and diverse work that our students have gone on to do. We will explore a typical ‘day in the life’, common misconceptions, and emerging trends and future directions in criminal justice.

Time: 3:30pm

Speaker/Panel: The Student Experience (UG and PG students)

Duration: 15 minutes

How the UoP is helping students shape their careers. In this talk, we hear from the most important people at the University of Portsmouth, our students. Come and see what it’s like to study here and get a first-hand account from those going through our programmes.