Published 06.11.08

Peter Squires, Professor of Criminology and Public Policy at the university, has been awarded the status of Academician in the Academy of Social Sciences for his outstanding contribution in the field of criminology.

The academy describes itself as the voice of the social science community in the UK and comprises a network of 500 individual Academicians and 30 Learned Societies across the country. It works to promote excellence in the social sciences through research, education and service to the community, and full membership is only granted following a process of nomination and peer review.

Peter (pictured right) first began working at the university in 1986. During his time here, he has helped to develop teaching and research in criminology and criminal justice in the School of Applied Social Science. He is a leading academic expert on gun crime and recently provided analysis for the major Channel 4 series Disarming Britain, as well as having previously appeared on BBC Radio 4 to discuss the spread of gun culture.

Peter said: "I was very flattered with this nomination, it came a little out of the blue following the appearance of an article about my research in the Guardian. We had been exploring the establishment of gang cultures in British cities and the ways that young people were drawn into carrying weapons and then graduating on to using guns. These are both serious and obviously topical questions."

"The article was read by one of my former lecturers from Bristol, now Professor Robert Reiner at The London School of Economics and Political Science, who made the nomination. I'm hoping that my nomination helps us to put criminology, and social science more generally, at Brighton firmly on the map."

Professor Phil Haynes, Head of the School of Applied Social Science, said: "This is an outstanding achievement in acknowledgement of the very highly valued contribution that Peter is making to criminology."

Find out more about studying criminology at the university, and the school's crime and justice research group.