He is Professor of Criminal Investigation at De Montfort University, Leicester. His main research interests include the history of modern slavery, from which he obtained his PhD. He has also done much research on organised crime. His research focuses on the investigative interviewing of victims (including children), witnesses and suspects, and the decision-making of investigators, which he has published widely. He is the author and co-author of several university textbooks. He also assists PhD students conducting research in this area. He was a founding member of the International Investigative Interviewing Research Group. Several of his current projects include how the epidemic has affected law enforcement practice in interviewing witnesses. He works nationally and locally with the police and policymakers on modern slavery. In 2020 he was awarded the title of "Global Professor of Criminology" in Leuven.
