Tag: Peter Squires

Shocking survey shows that 75% of police agree with carrying a taser

 

With over 8000 Metropolitan Police stating in a recent survey that they should be allowed to carry a taser, this has become a hot topic for debate.

Professor Peter Squires, of Criminology and Public Policy at the University of Brighton, speaks to The Conversation about the lessons learnt from countries where police carry weapons, and what the research and evidence show so far.

What do you think? Read the full article here and let us have your feedback on whether police carrying tasers is a good idea.

Kate MillerLeave a comment

Best summer crime fiction, as recommended by a criminologist

Peter Squires, University of Brighton

A criminologist with a passion for crime fiction. It sounds a bit of a cliché, but crime thrillers may have started me on this career path to begin with. I’ve always told people that my interest in law and order was ignited by Z-Cars, when believable working class characters and realistic urban settings replaced the usual, old-fashioned cerebral sleuths in country houses. But then I’ve been reading mysteries and detective stories since childhood. I started, as did many, with the Famous Five and the Hardy boys, before gravitating on to more adult crime fiction and legal thrillers. Continue reading “Best summer crime fiction, as recommended by a criminologist” →

LizzieLeave a comment

Dunblane massacre 20 years on: how Britain rewrote its gun laws – and the challenge it faces now

Peter Squires, University of Brighton

Thomas Hamilton walked into Dunblane Primary School, near Stirling, Scotland on March 13 1996, armed with four legally-owned handguns and over 700 rounds of ammunition. In three to four terrible minutes, he fired 105 shots killing 16 children and their teacher, and wounding 15 more children. His last shot killed himself.

In the 20 years since Dunblane, a great deal has been learned about preventing gun violence. Only the United States, where mass shootings now number in the hundreds, seems reluctant to embrace those lessons, prompting president Barack Obama to wonder why the US could not do more on gun control. Continue reading “Dunblane massacre 20 years on: how Britain rewrote its gun laws – and the challenge it faces now” →

LizzieLeave a comment

Explainer: why the Supreme Court ruled against joint enterprise

Peter Squires, University of Brighton

Hundreds of convictions may need to be re-examined after a landmark Supreme Court judgement found that a man found guilty of murder under the controversial “joint enterprise” principle should have his murder conviction quashed.

The man, Ameen Jogee, was convicted after the jury in his original trial believed him guilty of encouraging the killer, Mohammed Hirsi, who actually struck the fatal blow – even though Jogee was outside the building when the murder occurred. Continue reading “Explainer: why the Supreme Court ruled against joint enterprise” →

LizzieLeave a comment

Obama’s bold move against guns proves the politics of firearms really is changing

Peter Squires, University of Brighton

It’s common in the US to refer to a second-term president in his final year as a “lame duck”, his time limited, his momentum gone, and his political capital ebbing away to whoever’s next in line for the White House. But, not for the first time, Barack Obama has surprised and confounded his critics.

Deeply frustrated by the failure of his package of “sensible gun controls” to secure enough votes in the Senate back in April 2013, he has now announced a series of executive control measures as a way of delivering on key gun control commitments, re-energising the debate and doing so in a way that may favour the Democratic cause in a presidential election year. Continue reading “Obama’s bold move against guns proves the politics of firearms really is changing” →

LizzieLeave a comment