International Crime and Policing Conference 2015
Home Office conference explores thinking on cutting crime in a changing world.
The first Home Office crime and policing conference, ‘Cutting crime in a changing world’, took place on 28 and 29 January 2015.
The conference brought together 120 leading experts to share a wide range of perspectives on crime. It was an opportunity to highlight new research, generate ideas, showcase innovation and consider how we – government, police and citizens – should respond to current and future crime challenges.
A message from Home Secretary Theresa May
The conference was opened by Home Secretary Theresa May. The keynote speakers were Professor Franklin Zimring from UC Berkeley School of Law, and Professor Sadie Creese from Oxford University.
Other speakers included a wide range of UK and international experts from law enforcement, academia, industry and the voluntary sector.
Professor Franklin Zimring, Professor of Law, UC Berkeley School of Law
Evolving crime challenges
Crime in England and Wales has fallen by more than 60% since the mid 1990s, according to the independent Crime Survey. In much of the Western world it has fallen sharply over roughly the same period. Since this government came to power, survey recorded crime has fallen by over a fifth.
At the same time, the picture is becoming more complex. In England and Wales, more people are coming forward to report certain types of abuse that have previously been under-reported. Meanwhile, advances in technology are providing opportunities for both criminals and law enforcement.
Bill Blair, Chief of the Toronto Police Service
As the government responds to the evolving picture of crime, we must:
- develop better analysis and evidence on crime trends and drivers, and share it so that police forces and others can ensure crime keeps falling
- co-ordinate the response to crime issues that are national, serious or organised
Both of these aims were central to our discussions at the conference.
Explore our interactive map of conference speakers and global cooperation in crime prevention.
Speaker presentations
Franklin Zimring, Professor of Law at Berkeley Law, shared New York’s lessons for controlling urban crime.
Professor Franklin Zimring at the International Crime and Policing Conference 2015
Permanent Secretary Mark Sedwill spoke about 3 things that have reduced crime – social and demographic change, target hardening and smarter law enforcement.
Permanent Secretary Mark Sedwill at the International Crime and Policing Conference 2015
Minister for Policing, Criminal Justice and Victims Mike Penning launched the Track My Crime tool.
Mike Penning at the International Crime and Policing Conference 2015
Jasvinder Sanghera, founder of Karma Nirvana, told her personal story as a survivor of forced marriage.
Jasvinder Sanghera at the International Crime and Policing Conference 2015
Karyn McCluskey, Director of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit, spoke about how to sustain a fall in violent crime over the long term.
Karen McClusky at the International Crime and Policing Conference 2015
Sadie Creese, Professor of Cybersecurity at the University of Oxford, discussed cybersecurity and the future of online crime and policing.
Professor Sadie Creese at the International Crime and Policing Conference 2015
Research and analysis
The Home Office has published several papers relevant to the conference.
Updates to this page
Published 28 January 2015Last updated 18 February 2015 + show all updates
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added video of Franklin Zimring
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added video of Mark Sedwill
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added video of Mike Penning
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added video of Prof Sadie Creese
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added video of Jasvinder Sanghera
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added video of Karen McClusky
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Added translation