Exploring Terrorism and Collective Moral Responsibility

An Emeritus Professor of London Metropolitan University was asked to speak at a workshop held in the Netherlands. By chance, he found himself alongside three of his former students.

Date: 27 October 2017

Emeritus Professor John Grieve spoke a workshop which is part of a European Research Council-funded project on Counter-Terrorism and Collective Moral Responsibility, hosted by the University of Delft and held at The Hague Institute for Global Justice, in the Netherlands.

The session examined ‘Counter-Terrorism: Ethics and Efficacy’ and was held in September 2017. Funded by the ERC, the workshop aimed to explore the complex topic of international terrorism.

By coincidence, Professor Grieve spoke alongside three other speakers, who are all London Metropolitan University graduates and were taught by the John Grieve Centre for Policing and Community Safety (JGC).

London Met graduate Dr Andrew Fisher is currently a lecturer at the University of Liverpool and lead associate at Mutual Gain, a training consultancy. His work aims to promote greater participation, active citizenship and increase social capital.

Fellow alumnus, Dr Paul Burke, is the Senior Researcher on the Terrorism and Collective Moral Responsibility project, and he has worked extensively in intelligence and national security across the globe, most recently in Mogadishu as Glengulf International Director of a counter-terrorism capacity-building programme for the Somali government.

Dr Ian Stanier, the third alumnus speaking at the workshop, served as a police officer with two Metropolitan police forces. Dr Stanier is an expert in human intelligence covert policing, intelligence failure and intelligence within prison systems.

The three alumni graduated in 2013 and have continued their research in a variety of community safety areas. They came together for the first time to share their learning and experiences in relation to various aspects of counter-terrorism. These range from collecting and sharing intelligence to enabling communities to play their part in the fight against terror.

Professor John Grieve said: “This is a very proud moment for me personally and for the John Grieve Centre, London Metropolitan University.

“It is wonderful to see our graduates continuing their research and making a difference to the safety of our communities by sharing their knowledge and insight into this difficult subject. I am sure that learning from this workshop will help the step changes suggested in challenging contemporary terrorism.”

Dr Burke will be coordinating the capture of the lessons from the workshop, for publication in an edited collection due for publication in the upcoming months. The European Research Council-funded research project on Counter-Terrorism and Collective Moral Responsibility is led by Professor Seumas Miller, academic at the University of Delft and the University of Oxford.

The John Grieve Centre for Policing and Community Safety is based at London Metropolitan University. It offers a wide range of professional doctorate degrees taught by world leading policing experts.