Key details
Dr Melissa Pepper
Senior Lecturer in Criminology
Dr Melissa Pepper joined the School of Law and Criminology in 2020 after completing her Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded PhD at the University of Surrey. Her thesis explored the motivations, contributions, and experiences of Police Support Volunteers in a large urban constabulary in England. Melissa's research interests focus on the role that citizens play in policing, particularly as volunteers, and the broader pluralisation of policing and the extended police 'family'.
Prior to joining Greenwich, Melissa worked in government social research for 18 years, first in the Home Office, then the London Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime. Melissa has contributed to and led evaluation, research, and analysis across a range of crime and justice policy areas including domestic and sexual violence, substance misuse, stop and search, and community-police engagement.
Responsibilities within the university
- Lecturer in Criminology
- Programme Leader Criminology and Criminal Psychology (Extended)
- Module leader, Introduction to Criminology (Level 3)
- Module leader, Foundations of Criminology (Level 4)
- Co-module leader, Criminology, the Community, and Work Based Practice (Level 6)
- Module leader, Controversies in Contemporary Criminology (Level 7)
- Supervisor of undergraduate and postgraduate criminology dissertations
- Personal Tutor for undergraduate and postgraduate criminology students
Recognition
- Member of the British Society of Criminology
- Member of the European Society of Criminology
- Member of the International Criminal Justice Voluntary Sector Research Network (CRIMVOL)
- Co-chair and trustee of the Robert Clack Development Trust
Research / Scholarly interests
Research interests include:
- The role of the citizen in policing
- Volunteers in policing
- Community-police engagement
- The pluralisation of policing and the extended police 'family'