Susan Giles

I have been a lecturer in Forensic and Investigative Psychology at the University of Liverpool since 2014, and have contributed to Forensic Psychology MSc and BSc courses in the North of England for over ten years. I have successfully secured research funding for a number of projects working with a range of policing and third sector partners nationally.

My research specialisms include i) equivocal death and contested document analysis, ii) police decision making and risk assessment in missing person cases and sexual offences, and iii) evidence based policing and evaluation. Specifically, I have developed a framework for the analysis of contested documents that has been applied in active missing person and equivocal death enquiries. I also provide evaluation training and research consultation to police forces wishing to evidence intervention efficacy and cost effectiveness.

In 2017, working with the Better Policing Collaborative and funded by HEFCE Police Knowledge Fund, I project managed an interdisciplinary team of psychologists, computing and mathematical scientists to develop CASPER, an interactive geographical decision support system for Police Forces in missing person investigations.

Most recently, in collaboration with the Fighting International Internet Paedophilia team, National Crime Agency and Kent Police, I was the academic lead for the development of the Tackling Online Grooming (TOG) Toolkit, a resource for front line officers in the early stages of child sexual grooming investigation. The TOG Toolkit is currently being rolled out nationally by the College of Policing.

Working with academic partners, I develop professional reports and academic publications testing the validity of police risk assessment tools. I have provided expert advice to a number of External Reference Groups that help shape national police decision making in missing person and child sexual abuse contexts.