Samantha is a Research Assistant at ICPR, having joined the team in 2022. Her research focuses on the digital facilitation of serious crimes, with particular emphasis on domestic abuse and sexual assault.
Samantha has contributed to the police research initiatives Operation Soteria and Operation Brightlight, examining the impact and handling of digital material in sexual assault and domestic abuse investigations. Her work has involved in-depth reviews of law enforcement policies and practices, identifying systemic barriers that hinder the effective prevention, investigation, and prosecution of these crimes. She is a named author on the Year One Soteria report, which has directly influenced national policy and practice through the implementation of the Soteria National Operating Model.
Currently, Samantha is involved in projects exploring law enforcement responses to organised fraud and young people’s experiences of online fraud.
Before transitioning into a career in research, Samantha held various roles within the criminal justice system. She spent seven years supporting survivors of sexual assault at the West Mercia Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC). During this time, she worked as a Crisis Worker, providing support to clients undergoing forensic medical examinations, and also served as a SARC Coordinator. In addition to her work at the SARC, Samantha held other frontline roles in the criminal justice system, including as a Restorative Justice Practitioner and a Hate Crime Victim Support Worker.
Samantha holds a combined Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in Criminology, with her Master’s thesis exploring the strategisation of sexual violence in war.