Dr Simon Retford
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Simon teaches on a number of courses within the School of Law & Policing. He teaches and supervises students at undergraduate, postgraduate, and aspirant PhD or Professional Doctorate level. Simon brings 30 years policing experience, having retired from the police as a Detective Superintendent. He graduated with a Professional Doctorate in Criminal Justice in 2016 and has taught at a number of regional universities over recent years, on a pro-bono basis across a range of subjects.
Simon is a Lecturer within the criminology and policing teams and is also involved in supporting and supervising students from across the School. He is involved in leading and teaching on several undergraduate Criminology modules. He also teaches on postgraduate modules on the MSc Counter-Terrorism, MSc Cyber Crime, and MSc Criminal Investigation courses.
Simon retired from Greater Manchester Police in October 2020, as a Detective Superintendent and served most of his career as a Detective. As a Detective Chief Inspector, Simon was seconded to and jointly set up the North West Regional Intelligence Unit, the precursor to the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit. He has served in Territorial policing command roles and held Senior Investigating Officer roles in Serious & Organised Crime, Homicide Investigation, Public Protection, Sexual Offending investigation, Professional Standards and Anti-Corruption. In 2015 he was appointed as Director of Intelligence and Analysis (DoI), before moving to his last posting as Authorising Officer and Head of Covert Support & Intelligence Collection (AO). Here he was Force Lead for sensitive intelligence, Regulation of Investigatory Powers compliance, Surveillance, Covert Human Intelligence Sources and Protected Persons.
As DoI, Simon was a member of the Strategic Liaison Group in the Manchester Arena Bombing. As AO, he also oversaw the protection, management and provision of sensitive intelligence and related disclosure to the Anthony Grainger Public Inquiry.
Simon sat on his Force’s Evidence Based Practice Board and was involved in reviewing and overseeing the support of those from Higher Education conducting research within or with regards to Greater Manchester Police.
Simon holds a Professional Doctorate in Criminal Justice and his research explored abuse perpetrated by children against parents. Simon has lectured on a range of subjects including, public protection, organised crime, regulatory powers, human rights, policing family violence and Professional Doctorate studies.
Given his policing roles he has a particular interest in covertly tackling sophisticated and organised crime through the use of human and technical intelligence gathering and digital investigation. He also has an interest in human rights law vis-à-vis regulatory powers.
- Professional Doctorate in Criminal Justice, University of Portsmouth, 2016.
- MSc Criminology and Criminal Psychology, University of Portsmouth 2011.
- BSc (Hons), Crime and Criminology, University of Portsmouth, 2009.
- FdA, Investigation and Evidence, University of Portsmouth, 2007.
- Abuse within a family setting and policing family violence.
- Public protection.
- Covert Investigation of organised crime.
- Covert and technical intelligence gathering.
- Anti-corruption
- Cyber-crime and digital investigation.
- Intelligence and Analysis.
- Human rights and regulatory powers.
- Counter-Terrorism.
- Member of Socio-Legal Studies Association
- Member of Society of Legal Scholars.
- Member of British Society of Criminology.
- Member of Centre for Crime and Justice Studies.
Simon's Doctoral research explored abuse perpetrated by children against their parents. He has presented at a range of conferences and training events in this regard and continues to be involved in research to develop improved methods of responding to this problem. Simon is also involved in supervising research into Human Rights related matters and how these are affected by regulatory legislation 'post Brexit'.
- Centre for Criminal Justice Research and Partnerships, UCLan.
- Child Against Parent Violence Conference, Huddersfield, 2012.
- National Child-Against-Parent Violence Conference, Nottingham, 2012.
- British Society of Criminology: North West Regional Seminar, Edge Hill University, 2013.
- Wakefield Council Child-to-Parent Abuse Practitioner’ Forum, Wakefield, 2014.
- Senior Police Commanders Conference, Manchester, 2016.
- National Police Chiefs’ Council- Regional Domestic Abuse Leads Conference, London,2017.
- Abuse against Adoptive and Foster Parents by children: Key Legislation Conference, London.
- ‘Policing’ Parent Abuse: Collaboration opportunities for preventative intervention. N8 Conference, Darlington.
- Police responses to gangs and gang culture. International Cultic Studies Association Conference, Salford, 2019.
Email: Email:Dr Simon Retford