Since graduating with MA (Hons) from Edinburgh University in 1983, Simon has garnered 35 years’ experience of research, policy and practice in crime, community safety and urban regeneration spanning public service, civil service, the private sector and academia.

An award winning community safety practitioner and trainer, he has worked on over 2,250 UK social housing estates, published over 50 peer reviewed and government reports, created central government policy and spent 12 years as lecturer/ researcher at Middlesex and London South Bank Universities.

An Independent Advisor to the Met police for 20 years, he is an expert advisor to HMICFRS, MPS, MOPAC, Home Office, government ministers, solicitors and crime charities.

His recent focus on youth violence and street gangs includes the Lambeth Gangs Commission (2007) and managing England’s largest anti-gangs project, (The Phoenix Project). He now maintains a prominent profile on radio, TV and news print media.

This lecture will commence with a brief biography of Simon’s career in crime research, policy and practice. It will then focus on his major theoretical work, The Street Casino, giving an exposition of street capital theory. Simon will then consider how UK street gangs have evolved and expanded over the past 20 years, looking at the nature and dimensions of this expansion and how this has been exacerbated by austerity. He will then offer a fulsome explanation as to how and why youth violence is suddenly increasing across England.