Security reform

Over nearly two decades of work with Saferworld, I helped pioneer the organisation’s community security and peacebuilding programme approaches, with direct experience designing and implementing them in multiple settings across South-East Europe, Africa and South and Central Asia. As Saferworld’s Head of Policy I then helped develop our experience into a widely used community security handbook. I offer in-depth expertise on security and rule of law research – including research into public perceptions of human security, policing and arms proliferation in a wide range of country contexts. Within civil society and policy communities, I have long championed people-centred approaches to peace, security and justice, including as a leading architect and advocate for the creation of the SDG16+ commitments, and through research and advocacy on the promotion of peace and rights based responses to the challenges posed by proscribed armed groups. I have more recently supported monitoring, evaluation and learning on security and rule of law themes – leading evaluations for the Dutch Knowledge Platform Security & Rule of Law and of the Netherlands’ Strategic Partnership with the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF).

Expertise and experience:

• Member of the UK Government’s Civilian Stabilisation Group roster as a Conflict Prevention expert

• Practice guide: ‘Towards principled peacemaking: a playbook for security actors,’ Principles for Peace Foundation (forthcoming)

• Transition International, 'Review of the Netherlands Strategic Partnership with DCAF', (August 2024)

• Teaching modules on weapons management and community security and assessing participants on an advanced course on reintegration of excombatants (Barcelona July 2022 & July 2023)

• Report for Transition International: ‘Final Report Mid-Term Review: Knowledge Platform Security & Rule of Law,’ (May 2023)

• Led and co-authored two strands of research for the FCDO-funded project ‘Stabilisation and resilience strategies: what works to address threats posed by violent criminal or proscribed groups?’ (2021-22)

• Report with Abigail Watson: ‘How guns fall silent: Analysing examples of relative success in integrated stabilisation,’ (Saferworld/FCDO funded, May 2022)

• Report with Jordan Street: ‘No shortcuts to security: learning from responses to armed conflicts involving proscribed groups,’ (Saferworld/FCDO funded, May 2022)

• Provided strategic and operational advice to the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency in response to requests to the Saferworld, Bradford University and Stockholm Policy Group helpdesks on peace, human rights, rule of law and conflict sensitivity, including authoring a number of written reports from 2010 onwards

• Developed a global civil society Security Policy Alternatives Network from 2017 to promote peace, human rights and civic space within international security interventions, comprised of over 100 civil society organisations and experts, leading to multiple collaborative research and advocacy initiatives

• Report with David Keen: ‘Dilemmas of counterterror, stabilisation and statebuilding,’ (Saferworld, 2015)

• Practice guide with Will Bennett, Rob Parker et al.: ‘Community Security Handbook,’ (Saferworld, 2014)

• Report: ‘Police and Security Sector Reform in Moldova,’ (CICS/Saferworld report for SIDA, August 2010)

• Led the development of Saferworld’s South Asia regional programme focusing on Sri Lanka and Nepal projects on small arms control, rule of law, community security and conflict-sensitive approaches to relief and development from 2008-2010

• Supported country level efforts to research and consult on small arms and armed violence and develop national response strategies, and developed international small arms survey standards drawing on this

• Practice guide: UN CASA, 'International SALW Control Standards Module 05.10 - SALW Surveys'

• Report with Eleanor Gordon, Sudindra Sharma, Subindra Bogati & Rita Khatiwada: ‘Treading Water - Security and justice in Nepal in 2009,’ (London/Kathmandu, Saferworld, 2010)

• D Hiscock, S Sharma, L Attree et al, ‘On track for improved security? A survey tracking changing perceptions of public safety, security and justice provision in Nepal,’ (London/Kathmandu, Saferworld, 2009)

• Report with Government of Sri Lanka National Commission Against the Proliferation of Illicit Small Arms, ‘Survey Report on the prevalence of illicit small arms in Sri Lanka,’ (Colombo, Saferworld/NCAPISA, 2008)

• Co-ordinated primary research and writing a Socio-Economic Profiling and Opportunity Mapping to plan reintegration of ex-combatants in North and South Sudan (for Transition International and UNDDR/UNDP), and trained Sudan’s DDR Commissions in reintegration planning

• Article with Irma Specht: ‘The reintegration of teenage girls and young women,’ Intervention (2006), Volume 4, Number 3, pp 219-228

• Report with Government of Sri Lanka National Commission Against the Proliferation of Illicit Small Arms, ‘Illegal small arms and light weapons pilot survey,’ (Colombo, Saferworld/NCAPISA, 2006)

• Report: ‘Strategic overview of armed violence data collection and analysis mechanisms (South East Europe),’ (Belgrade, SEESAC, 2006)

• Report chapters on Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro: ‘Analysis of national legislation on arms exports and transfers in the Western Balkans,’ (Belgrade, Saferworld/SEESAC, 2006)

• Report with Yvonne Kemper & Irma Specht: ‘Children and Armed Conflict: the Response of the EU,’ (Transition International paper for UNIDIR project: European Action on Small Arms, Light Weapons and Explosive Remnants of War)

• National strategy with Independent State of Papua New Guinea: ‘National Gun Control Strategy,’ (Prime Minister and Minister for Internal Security’s policy submission adopted by National Executive Council), July 2005

• Report with PNG Guns Control Committee: ‘Recommendations Consequent to Nationwide Consultations and the PNG Guns Summit,’ (July 2005)

• Report: ‘SALW Awareness in Schools – Towards a National Curriculum,’ (Belgrade, SEESAC, 2005)

• Report with Paul Holtom, Henry Smith, Bernardo Mariani, Simon Rynn & Juliana Sokolova: ‘Turning the Page: small arms and light weapons in Albania,’ (CPDE/Saferworld, 2005)

• Report with Philip Gounev & Bernardo Mariani: ‘Weapons Under Scrutiny: Implementing arms export controls and combating small arms proliferation in Bulgaria,’ (Saferworld/CSD, April 2004)