Richard was a ‘career detective’ and is now a retired chief police officer who worked for over three decades in policing, gaining profound operational and strategic experience within national security, criminal investigation, covert operations, counter terrorism and military sectors.
Richard established the Independent Digital Ethics Panel for Policing (IDEPP) in 2014, believed to be the first such body globally. He worked closely with the UK telecommunications industry at a strategic level and formed the sensitive equities portfolio for UK policing, dealing with strategic threat management and operational security of the most sensitive capabilities. Within this context he established a Professional Oversight Board for specialist data acquisition staff in the UK and oversaw a pioneering error reduction strategy, developed with industry partners, which has been recognised for delivering safer resolution of internet protocol data. Both initiatives are now formalised within UK secondary legislation. Richard has given evidence to various UK Parliamentary standing and thematic scrutiny committees in relation to intelligence, security and data as evidence. He contributed to and led the introduction of a European Standard (ETSI) for the introduction of digital materials into legal proceedings.
Richard has lectured and presented in many international settings and actively contributes to the (British) Cybernetics Society. His doctorate established the sub-discipline of Security Cybernetics. His work included detailed analysis of innovation and police strategy, data variety and evidentiality; including forensic, algorithmic and other vulnerabilities within both investigations and the courts in respect of drawing safe inferences from data in legal proceedings. He has submitted, with colleagues, to the Ministry of Justice call in relation to the Post Office Horizon scandal. Richard’s current research interests include cybernetic law, complex adaptive systems/capabilities, systemic ailments/diagnostic praxis, strategic security transformations. He has worked with colleagues to develop cybernetic gaming pedagogies for senior leadership development in the context of current and foreseeable data environments.
He has provided specialist advice to diverse projects, including UN initiatives on human trafficking, the 2012 London Olympics and to overseas administrations on niche capability development.