Staff Profile
Dr Rachael Aplin
Senior Lecturer, Policing
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I have 20 years police practitioner investigative and detective sergeant supervisory experience with Greater Manchester Police. I worked across numerous specialisms as a detective including Crime Training (teaching investigative interview skills, CID and home office crime recording rules), CID, Force Major Incident Team, Force Intelligence Branch, business process reengineering, Child Protection, Domestic Abuse lead.
I took a career break from the police in 2013 in the pursuance of a PhD entitled 'Policing Honour Based Abuse'. Whilst pursuing the doctorate I was associate lecturer at Leeds Beckett University (2013-2016). I then became a full time Senior Lecturer there (2016-2019), teaching on the criminology degree. I completed the doctorate in 2018. In 2019 I joined the University of Huddersfield teaching across both the Criminology degree and the degree holder entry (DHEP) policing programme (Police Now), in which I was a programme lead (2020-2021). In 2021 I joined Northumbria University teaching on the accredited policing degree and the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeships programme (PCDA) for Northumbria police. I look forward to joining the York St John team to teach on the policing programmes and pursue further research.
I have been an accredited Centrex police trainer since 2004 and teaching in higher education since 2013, receiving my teaching accreditation from the British Higher Education Academy in 2015 (FHEA) and 2022 (SFHEA).
- School – York Business School
- Email – r.aplin@yorksj.ac.uk
- Research - View my work in RaY
Teaching
I have much experience in effecting change management (priority based budget cuts), interprofessional working and collaborative practice, and have been heavily involved in curriculum design and delivery both in industry and academic environments. I have taught as a specialist police crime trainer since 2004 and within Higher Education since 2013.
I teach and research on areas central to policing, focusing on police culture(s) and discretionary practices, honour-based abuse, honour killing, forced marriage, domestic abuse, child protection, CSE and partnership working, the management of serious and complex crime, suspect and witness interviewing and doorstep crimes against the elderly. Whilst researching and teaching I achieved my Fellow Higher Education Accreditation in teaching (2015) and successfully completed the Senior Fellow accreditation (2022).
Research
My research largely focuses on improving police service provision, particularly were this involves public protection and the policing of vulnerable or systemically disadvantaged groups, sometimes intersecting with issues of race. Whilst a serving police officer I completed a Master’s in Business Administration (2012), focusing on policing Rogue Trader fraud and distraction burglary against the elderly (Doorstep crime). My criminology doctorate, conferred in August 2018, explores police discretionary practices when investigating Honour-Based Abuse incidents (a form of domestic abuse). This culminated in my authored monograph 'Policing UK Honour-Based Abuse Crime' (2019). Please see research profile for further publications.
I was recently invited by the Danish Ministry of Justice as a keynote speaker to explore the policing of honour abuse (2022) and am scheduled to speak on the role and benefits of Independent Advisory Groups at a Security and Intelligence conference in Canada (CASIS) (Nov 2022).
Publications, Conferences and Media Impact
Book:
Aplin, R. (2019) Policing UK Honour-Based Abuse Crime. Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. palgrave.com/9783030184308 ISBN 978-3-030-18429-2
Journal articles
Aplin, R. (2022) Evaluating the value of the police Independent Advisory Group (IAG): Honour Based Abuse Crime (HBA), Forced Marriage (FM) and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), Women's Studies International Forum. DOI:10.1016/jwsif.2021.102556.
Aplin, R. (2021) Investigating Honour-Based Abuse and Other Crimes in South Asian Communities: The benefits, limitations and impacts of 'ethnic matching' and ethnic 'difference' of police officers, Policing and Society: An International Journal of Research and Policy. doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2021.2010733.
Aplin, R. (2021) Police discretion, pragmatism and crime 'deconstruction': Police doorstep crime investigations in England and Wales. Policing and Society: An International Journal of Research and Policy. DOI: 10.1080/10439463.2021.1906668.
Aplin, R. (2021) The policing, investigation and governance of 'Rogue Trader' fraud: Whose responsibility? The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles. DOI: 10.1177/0032258X211020038.
Aplin, R. (2018) Honour-Based Abuse: The response by professionals to vulnerable adult investigations. Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research. Special issue of “Honour” based abuse, violence and killings. 10 (4), pp. 239-250. DOI:10.1108/JACPR-09-2017-0320
Aplin, R. (2017) Exploring the role of mothers in 'Honour' based abuse perpetration and the impact on the policing response. Women's Studies International Forum 60, pp. 1-10. DOI:10.1016/j.wsif.2016.10.007.
Blog:
Aplin, R. (2022) Doorstep Crime: The policing 'scripts' that decriminalise, Blog for Policing Network: British Society of Criminology, March/April 2022.
Conference presentations:
24 November 2022 (forthcoming) CASIS Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies (CASIS). 5th annual West Coast Security Conference, entitled "Disruption". Presenting paper on the role of Independent advisory groups and how they manage the divide between communities and police in knowledge sharing and understanding.
30 June 2022 Presented paper at British Society of Criminology Conference, Guildford Surrey. Under theme of Police Investigation. Title: 'Police Discretion, Pragmatism and Crime 'Deconstruction': Policing Doorstep Crime (Rogue Trader Fraud and Distraction Burglary).
16 June 2022 Presented paper at conference in Odense, Denmark arranged by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Integration: The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration. Title: 'How do UK police manage honor-related crimes - what are their experiences and what initiatives have improved this arena'.
16 February 2022 Paper based on new journal article entitled ' Investigating honour-based abuse and other crimes in South Asian communities: The benefits, limitations and impacts of 'ethnic matching' and ethnic 'difference' of police officers, Social Sciences Seminar Series 2022 Northumbria University.
15 September 2021 Paper entitled 'Policing Doorstep Crime: Rogue Trader Fraud and Distraction Burglary'. Centre for Crime & Policing Seminar Series 2021/22 Northumbria University.
2 July 2021 Keynote presentation entitled: The policing, investigation and governance of 'Rogue Trader' fraud: Whose responsibility? 2nd International Webinar on Dementia and Alzheimer Rehabilitation, Scientific Meditech.
3 July 2019 Paper entitled 'Police Crime recording: The Grey figure of Crime: If it isn't crimed it hasn't happened', British Society of Criminology, University of Lincoln.
5 July 2018 Paper entitled 'Policing HBA: Domestic Abuse, child protection or a 'culturally' complex crime?' Honour-Based Abuse Research network (HARM) conference, Central Lancashire University.
10 July 2017 Paper entitled 'Female perpetration of Honour-Based Abuse'. Honour Crimes: Raising Awareness Forum, in collaboration with Karma Nirvana. Leeds Beckett University.
12 Jul 2017 Forced Marriage and Honour abuse in India: "love Commandos" Film Viewing event then panel discussion exploring mediation. CEO Jasvinder Sanghera CBE, film Director Miriam Lyons and Senior Lecturer Rachael Aplin.
14 Jul 2017 Paper entitled 'Interagency working between the Police and Children's Social Care'. Presented to Leeds City council officials and NGOs. Memorial-day for honour abuse victims. Leeds City Council.
6 July 2016 Paper entitled 'Female perpetration of honour-based abuse'. Presented at the British Society of Criminology, Nottingham University.
14 Mar 2016 Paper entitled 'An Academic Practitioners Journey: Honour Based Crime research'. Invited to present at the Royal College of Policing in Ryton on evidence-based research concerning PhD subject and the pitfalls and benefits of research.
14 Oct 2015 Invited to present at The National Travelling criminality conference in Sheffield on the master's research on Rogue trader crime. Paper entitled 'Organisational Culture: The impact on police practice in the context of Rogue Trader Crime in England and Wales.' As a result, Rachael was invited to become critical friend /advisor for the National centre for travelling criminality in the UK–Operation Liberal.
2013 Invited to present at two home watch coordinators meetings in Oldham (Feb) & Moston (June). This was a practical focus on crime reduction methods for the elderly regarding Doorstep Crime.
Media Exposure:
Dec 2019 A Swedish journalist (Pahl Ruin) interviewed me at length in Dec 2019 around my research findings on female perpetration of honour abuse, such is the topic of significant international interest (full page article entitled “Perspective. Women are frequent perpetrators in the area of honour repression” Perspektiv. Kvinnor frekventa förövare inom hedersförtryck).
18 January 2018 Interview for Radio Aire, post release of article on vulnerable adult abuse and HBA.
9 July 2017 BBC Radio Leeds Sunday breakfast for faith and ethics.
27 June 2017 Invited to Special feature on Female perpetration on ITVs Look North Calendar regional news along with colleague Jasvinder Sanghera.
Mar-July 2017 Series of radio interviews across the UK coinciding with the release of my article on female perpetration of HBA (Nottingham, Scotland, Ireland, Leeds, Tees, including the 'big debate' BBC Asian network).
15 March 2017 BBC Radio 4 Women's hour being interviewed by Jane Garvey (15th March 2017) along with colleague Jasvinder Sanghera.
13 March 2017 BBC Radio: Asian Network 'Big debate': The role of Mothers in Abuse
9 March 2017 BBC Radio Leeds: Faith and Ethics Sunday breakfast. Discussing Mothers who perpetrate HBA.
Aug 2015 Provided an interview to Louise Tickle of the Guardian, online on 22nd September, printed 23 September 2015 entitled 'When forced marriage is a threat to family.'
Professional Activities
- External Examiner Solent University (2020-2024).
- Ambassador for HARM (Honour Based Abuse Matrix) research group (UCLan)
- Member of British Higher Education Academy FHEA (2015) and SFHEA (2022)
- Member of British Society of Criminology
- Member of Policing Network within the BSC
- Working group member for Academy of Social Justice (York and Humber)
- Affiliated to 'Karma Nirvana' honour based abuse charity in Leeds
