University hosts national Serious and Organised Crime conference
Wednesday, 22nd April, 2026
The University of Huddersfield, in partnership with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the Home Office, has hosted the third Annual Serious and Organised Crime (SOC) Local Conference, one of the largest national events of its kind.
Bringing together over 300 senior leaders, practitioners and partners from across policing, government, and the wider criminal justice system, the conference continues to grow in scale and significance, reflecting the complexity and national importance of tackling serious and organised crime.
This year’s event saw representation from over 80 per cent of UK police forces, alongside colleagues from other policing jurisdictions including the Police Service of Northern Ireland and Police Scotland.
The event welcomed senior attendees including Deputy Chief Constable Wendy Gunney, NPCC Lead for Serious and Organised Crime; Chief Constables Tim Forber of North Yorkshire Police and Steve Jupp of the Sovereign Base Areas Police in Cyprus; Assistant Chief Constables Sarah Jones (West Yorkshire Police) and Danny Inglis (Merseyside Police). Also in attendance was Alison Lowe OBE, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime for West Yorkshire, alongside senior representatives from across national policing portfolios and government departments.
All Regional Organised Crime Units (ROCUs) were represented, together with key national partners including the Home Office, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services HMICFRS, and the College of Policing.
The conference focused on strengthening the delivery of the Clear, Hold, Build approach, alongside exploring emerging threats, showcasing innovative practice, and recognising excellence through the SOC Local Awards. Throughout the day, delegates engaged in discussions centred on operational delivery, prevention and the importance of coordinated, whole-system responses.
Deputy Chief Constable Wendy Gunney, NPCC Lead for Serious and Organised Crime, said, “Serious and organised crime may be global in reach and technologically enabled, but its harms are felt locally. That is why local insight, neighbourhood capability and strong partnerships are critical to an effective national response. This conference demonstrates the importance of protecting the golden thread from local to national, and of working as a whole system to deliver sustainable, long term harm reduction for our communities.
"My thanks go to the University of Huddersfield, our sponsors and all contributors whose commitment and collaboration made this event such a success.”
Detective Superintendent Andy Farrell, SOC Local Programme Lead, NPCC SOC Portfolio Office, said: “It was a pleasure to be hosted once again by Prof John Synnott and the University of Huddersfield. Our thanks go to all of our sponsors, and especially to our headline sponsor, Forensic Analytics, whose support has been instrumental in delivering this successful event.”
Professor John Synnott, Director of the Research Centre for Defence, Security and Leadership at the University of Huddersfield, said: “It is a real honour to host this event for a second year. The clear alignment between national priorities and the areas we are actively researching at Huddersfield really stood out, particularly the emerging work on sadistic online exploitation, which is rapidly becoming a critical focus for policing and partners.”
For more information about the conference or the University’s work in policing, security, and applied research, please contact Sandra Hirst.
