Month: July 2025

UWE Policing Book Club: Second Edition.

Author claudiamccready | Posted on

With the traditional academic term over and the summer holidays upon most of us, now feels like a fitting time to share some further recommendations from the UWE Bristol Policing Team. From a good old-fashioned ‘whodunnit’ to a psychological classic, or a perhaps a non-fiction based on science and nature – there is something for everyone.

Join Eve, Ian, and Stephen in their recommendations below and enjoy!

Eve Smietanko recommends ‘The Fury’, by Alex Michaelides.

If you’re like me and struggle to read crime fiction for the frustrating inaccuracies but miss the thrill of a whodunnit, then this is the book for you. Set on a small Greek island, several friends meet, and one, unsurprisingly is murdered. A kind of modern Agatha Chrisie with a twist begins to unfold.  Learning more about each of the characters and the relationships between them, you see that they are far messier and more complicated than appears on the surface. The story is told through the perspective of one of the characters, but as he explains at the beginning – can you trust the storyteller? Through the classic twists and turns of crime fiction you guess and second guess who the culprit is. Most satisfyingly for me, due to the remote and somewhat idyllic setting, there are no police in sight! This is a murder that has to be solved by the people involved who are stuck on an island knowing one of them guilty.

For anyone who has been out of the habit of reading for a while or finds it difficult to get stuck in, this is a great book to start with. It is easy to read and has cliffhangers and short chapters that leaving you thinking ‘oh I’ll just read one more’. This is also a great one for those of us who partake in ‘reading masochism’ – not the devouring of smutty novels I hasten to add, but the insistence of reading difficult, high-brow tomes for an ego boost rather than enjoyment! There’s a lesson for everyone in the novel whether it be a reminder that reading really can be for pleasure or whether it’s to reconsider notions of perspective, trust and truth.

Ian Lowe recommends ‘Nexus’, by Yuval Noah Harai.

Earlier this year I finished reading Nexus by YNH. This is the third book I have read by the author, and to suggest each one has changed my perspective on the way I look at the world would be an understatement. I would strongly recommend all four of his books, especially Sapiens.   

Nexus is a look at information systems and how humans have shared and created information throughout history. Starting with the spoken word, stories. Then the first giant breakthrough, written words / text and the creation of documents, which at the start meant clay tablets, then papyrus paper. Through books, which to start with meant religious texts (although there is a lot more to it than this). And the second world changing breakthrough. The printing press, which took production of texts like the bible from single figures per year to tens of thousands. Think how many people you can influence now you have the means to create that number if identical texts?

Once humans reached this level of information producing technology the emphasis changes to information and data control. ‘He who has control of the information controls the world’. If you don’t believe me, well read the book. But also look at mainstream media, social media, the rise in fake news. Pretty much all media in the USA is owned by two companies for example. The use of information and its manipulation to control, persuade or change people’s opinions. 

The book ends with a look at Artificial Intelligence (AI), the good, the bad, and the downright scary. How AI is the next revolution in information and data sharing and control. What AI can currently do, and trust me it is more than you realize, and where it is possibly going.

I leave you with a quote from Jerry Seinfeld that I think YNH would appreciate:

‘We’re smart enough to invent AI, dumb enough to need it and so stupid we can’t figure out if we did the right thing’.

Stephen Brown recommends ‘Crime and Punishment’, by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

As an avid reader, who devours both fiction and non-fiction I would recommend, Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” to those in the criminological field.  This is a profound psychological novel set in 1860s St. Petersburg. The story centres around, Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, who is an impoverished former legal student who suffers from a mental health crisis, or maybe it was always there.  He has a theory that humanitarian ends justify evil and indeed tests this hypothesis by committing a heinous crime. 

The book does paint a picture of mental health, abject poverty, misfortune and provides a conundrum of trust and scepticism.  Perhaps, the biggest take away is the profound dive into someone’s mind that clearly focusses on ‘malice aforethought’ and the ‘guilty mind’ (Mens Rea).  This is manifested by his unpredictable behaviour which is clearly determined by his conscience and subsequent paranoia that are interspersed with moments of clarity, although these a few and far between. 

In summation the book compounds how Raskolnikov struggles with his conscience and the psychological torment of his actions.  Consequently, during a moment of clarity, he confesses his guilt and accepts his punishment.  The novel delves deeply into themes of morality, guilt, and redemption and this is why I would recommend it.  Reader beware as it is not an easy read. 

Editorial Team

Paul Williamson (Editor-in-Chief); Claudia McCready (Lecturer); Claire Bowers (Senior Lecturer); Eve Smietanko (Senior Lecturer) & Ian Lowe (Senior Lecturer).

If you would like to be a guest blogger, please contact Police.Blog@uwe.ac.uk

Please feel free to leave a comment below which will be shared with the contributors.

A Lifetime in Communication – From Policing to the Page

Author Paul Williamson | Posted on

In this week’s UWE Bristol Policing Blog, we are delighted to feature a special Q&A with Les King, retired police officer, probation officer, university lecturer, and now two-time author. Les’s latest book, How to Strangle a Jelly, brings together a lifetime of experience and insight into the professional and human skill of communication.

Having had the privilege of working with Les earlier in my policing career, I saw first-hand how his natural style of communication could put people at ease, even in the most challenging situations.

In this blog, Les shares the story behind the book’s unusual title, reflects on the role of communication in modern policing and education, and offers practical wisdom for those both new to the job and decades in.

Les, congratulations on the release of How to Strangle a Jelly! For those unfamiliar with the title, could you tell us where the inspiration for the book, and where its unique name came from?

During a police promotion board for sergeant, one of the tests was to see if you could stand and talk for 3 minutes completely off the cuff on a subject they chose. My subject was ‘How to Strangle a Jelly,’ hence inspiration for the title of the book. I passed the test but not the promotion board!

You’ve had a remarkable 50-year career across policing, probation and University lecturing. Looking back, what first drew you to a career in public service, and how did communication play a role in that journey?

I was brought up in the country and spent a lot of time in the local pub. I learnt from a young age how to talk to people and the art of repartee. I developed a natural confidence in dealing with adults and knew I could use these talents in the police as well as earn a steady wage.

In How to Strangle a Jelly, you reflect on everything from courtroom drama to delivering wedding speeches. Were there any stories or moments you found particularly difficult, or especially rewarding to write about?

I enjoyed recounting everything in the book. However, one difficult bit was the example of talking to a group of parents who had all suffered the bereavement of losing a baby, who spoke about their poor experience of how the police dealt with it insensitively. It brought back my own experience of dealing with a cot death on a New Year’s Day. A tragic experience I shall never forget.

One of the standout themes of the book is the emotional range of communication—how it can console, persuade, entertain, and protect. Have your views on the importance of communication changed over the years, or have they simply deepened?

My opinion over the years has deepened as to the importance of communications, both written but especially verbal. In my opinion, the best cops and best detectives are first and foremost the best communicators in talking to people, putting them at their ease, obtaining information and then translating it into evidence.

I particularly enjoyed your reflections on briefing and leadership, especially the lesson from your sergeants’ course. How do you think briefing and command communication have changed in modern policing?

I say in the book, ‘You don’t have to be a leader to be a good communicator, but to be a good leader, you must be a good communicator.’

That has always been true. However, the world of 24/7 online and dynamic digital recording and communications has now made communicating even more challenging for everyone than relying purely upon the old methods of personal face to face briefings.

You also share tools and models in the book, especially in the chapters on investigative interviewing and professional standards. What prompted you to include those more structured techniques alongside your personal stories?

I am a pragmatist by nature and thrive on a bit ad-libbing and ad hoc wit and repartee. However, more complex problems require more sophisticated methods to resolve, and I believe implicitly in tried and tested theoretical models, especially when it comes to formal interviewing, counselling or de-briefing, because they work, so use them like a crutch!

You end the book with a moment of reflection on what makes a great communicator. If you had to distil that into one piece of advice for someone starting out on one of our policing programmes today, what would it be?

Use empathy and treat everyone with respect, even those who do not show respect to you.

You have now written two books. What motivated you to start writing, and how has your approach evolved between the first and this latest publication?

I started writing my first book Cornflakes with Whisky (my autobiography of policing) after taking a degree and just wanted freedom to write without referencing! I write as I speak, from the heart and both books are written in this style so no differences really.

Having taught at university level, you clearly care deeply about how we engage learners. What’s your take on the current state of communication in teaching—especially in professional policing education?

Policing is a practical, hands-on job but requires great skills, knowledge and technical ability. As such it will always require a teaching approach that reflects both strong academic research and learning combined with the ability to translate this into policing practice from those who have “walked the talk” and done the job. I believe this model exists in most policing programmes. Long may it last!

Finally, if you could revisit one moment in your career, not to change it, but to experience it again, what would it be and why?

The camaraderie, the craic and the humour in policing – I miss it dreadfully; hence, I need to write about it!

Cornflakes with Whisky and How to Strangle a Jelly by Les King. Available from Amazon  

Editorial Comment

Les’s point about the challenges of digital communication was picked up on by one of the editorial team. They had read about the recent launch of the Skills 4 Living initiative in Greater Manchester, designed to help Gen Z students develop soft skills like empathy and effective communication. Backed by UNESCO partner Higher Health, Mayor Andy Burnham, and local universities, the programme supports young people to enhance workplace interactions and tackle mental health challenges such as anxiety and social isolation. While Gen Z are confident online, experts note many still find face-to-face communication difficult. You can read more here

Editorial Team

Paul Williamson (Editor-in-Chief); Claudia McCready (Lecturer); Claire Bowers (Senior Lecturer); Eve Smietanko (Joint Programme Leader & Senior Lecturer) and Ian Lowe (Senior Lecturer).

If you would like to be a guest blogger, please contact Police.Blog@uwe.ac.uk

Back to top