Ethos

Centre of Excellence in Terrorism, Resilience, Intelligence and Organised Crime Research CENTRIC

About

CENTRIC is a multi-disciplinary and end-user focused centre of excellence, located within Sheffield Hallam University. The global reach of CENTRIC links both academic and professional expertise across a range of disciplines providing unique opportunities to progress ground-breaking research.

The strategic aim of CENTRIC is to facilitate the triangulation between the four key stakeholders in the security domain:

• Government
• Academia
• Public
• Private industry

The mission of CENTRIC is to provide a platform for researchers, practitioners, policy makers and the public to focus on applied research in the Security domain.

History

Close collaboration in security research and activity started between Sheffield Hallam University and Law Enforcement Agencies during 2006. Fusing our differing perspectives was a learning curve for everyone involved but establishing the core principals of trust, openness, integrity and professional responsibility, served to develop our collaborative approach to tackling the most pressing security issues, creating a unique working environment. A clear understanding of each other’s requirements provided a much needed platform for researchers, practitioners and policy makers to focus on applied research in the Security domain. These early collaborations have continued to evolve and flourish through various projects and activities, providing the solid foundations upon which CENTRIC is built today.

Vision

The primary research foci for CENTRIC are:

1. Applied knowledge management research in the security and intelligence domains with specific focus on terrorism and organised crime.
2. Use of communication technologies (from surveillance systems to the use of social media) in the promotion of public order, and the avoidance and resolution of crisis situations.
3. Development of networks of expertise across Europe in issues of cybercrime and cyber terrorism.
4. Professional skill development for Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA) and other relevant stakeholders.

These topics have been selected and developed in collaboration with colleagues within both the Law Enforcement Agency and commercial sectors.