Matt Ashby

Matt Ashby

Lecturer in Crime Science

University College London

Biography

I am a lecturer in crime science at the Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science at University College London (UCL). I am interested in crime analysis – particularly how crime concentrates in time and space – in crime prevention and in transport crime.

Interests
  • How crime concentrates in time and space
  • Crime analysis
  • How police can prevent crime
  • Problem-oriented policing
  • Crime on public transport
Education

  • PhD in Crime Science, 2016

    University College London

  • MRes in Security Science, 2012

    University College London

  • MSc in Crime Science, 2011

    University College London

  • BA (Hons) in Politics with International Studies, 2003

    University of Warwick

Recent Posts

Increases in crime-related demand are hitting some forces harder than others
One way to understand crime-related demands on police forces is to track ‘crime pressure’, a measure of investigative workload representing the number of crimes reported to a force per officer, weighted according to Office for National Statistics estimates of the relative severity of different crimes.
18 August 2022 8 min read Crime and justice chart of the week
Adjusting for population change, the number of police officers in England and Wales now is less than in 31 of the past 40 years
The government is reversing its earlier cuts to police numbers, but population increases mean that despite 13,800 extra posts over the past two years, the number of officers per 100,000 people now is still at levels not seen (before austerity) since 1980.
29 July 2022 1 min read Crime and justice chart of the week
Chart: Cuts to officer numbers still being felt in some forces
The government plans to reverse their previous police cuts by recruiting 20,000 extra police officers between 2019 and 2023. But the funding for those officers isn’t spread evenly, meaning 18 forces now have more officers than in 2010 while eight forces still have at least 10% fewer officers than 12 years ago.
27 July 2022 1 min read Crime and justice chart of the week
Chart: Over 13 years, basic police pay has fallen by 22% in real terms
A combination of government-led changes to pay mean a police constable who has just completed initial training in England and Wales in 2022 is paid about £7,600 less now than they would have been in 2010, once inflation is taken into account.
19 July 2022 1 min read Crime and justice chart of the week
Increases in crime-related demand are hitting some forces harder than others
One way to understand crime-related demands on police forces is to track ‘crime pressure’, a measure of investigative workload representing the number of crimes reported to a force per officer, weighted according to Office for National Statistics estimates of the relative severity of different crimes.
19 July 2021 7 min read Crime and justice chart of the week
See all posts

Recent Publications

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Matt Ashby (2022). Stop and Search in London: April 2021 to March 2022.

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Matt Ashby (2022). Stop and Search in London: January to December 2021.

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K Bullock, A Sidebottom, R Armitage, Matt Ashby, C Clemmow, S Kirby, G Laycock, N Tilley (2022). Police perceptions of problem-oriented policing and evidence-based policing: evidence from England and Wales. Police Practice and Research.

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K Bullock, A Sidebottom, R Armitage, Matt Ashby, C Clemmow, S Kirby, G Laycock, N Tilley (2021). Forty years of problem-oriented policing: A review of progress in England and Wales. Policing and Society.

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Matt Ashby (2021). Stop and Search in London: October 2020 to September 2021.

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Recent & Upcoming Talks

Comparing harm-spots and hot-spots for crime analysis
Presentation on whether harmspots are a potentially useful addition to existing crime analysis tools such as hotspot mapping.
22 June 2022 00:00 Harrogate, England
Slides
What effects do CCTV cameras have in criminal investigations?
Presentation on the effectiveness of CCTV in assisting criminal investigations.
7 April 2022 00:00 Stockholm, Sweden
Slides
Changes to police demand in COVID-19 pandemic
Joint presentation with staff from Cheshire Constabulary on how demand for policing changed during the first year of the COVID pandemic
24 March 2022 00:00 online
Slides
Modelling and forecasting time series in R
Presentation on using time-series models in R.
28 October 2021 00:00 online
Slides
Changes in police calls for service during the early months of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic
Presentation on changes in calls for service during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, based on my paper Changes in Police Calls for Service During the Early Months of the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic.
8 December 2020 00:00 online
Slides
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