I am a PhD candidate at the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR) and the University of Amsterdam (UvA).I hold a bachelor's and master's degree in criminology from the University of Oslo.
My PhD research project is called "Reducing threats and violence towards law enforcement agents, through systematic analysis of conflict behaviour"
By using a mixed-methods design, the project analyzes CCTV video recordings of real-life police-citizen encounters. Taking a micro-sociological approach, the project intends to identify the situational and interpersonal factors of when conflicts escalate to violence - and when they do not. Then, the project will identify and discuss how certain behaviors can prevent violent escalation.
The project's main goal is to:
- Identify what types of situations, and citizen behavioral patterns law enforcement agents ought to be especially aware of, because they hold a heightened risk of violent escalation.
- Identify what behavioral patterns law enforcement use that both heighten and lower the risk of violent escalation.
- Based on the findings, develop a “first aid tool kit” of conflict resolution tool, with concrete examples of appropriate and inappropriate conflict resolution behavior.