Dr Claire Davis

Claire joined University of Leicester as a Lecturer in Criminology in May 2018 having previously held posts at Liverpool John Moores University and Nottingham Trent University. She has a first-class BA (Hons) Sociology from Lancaster University and an MSc Clinical Criminology from the University of Leicester. Claire was awarded my PhD in 2018 my thesis examined police officers’ understandings and experience of leadership.

During her PhD Claire chaired the British Society of Criminology’s Postgraduate Committee and sat on the Executive Committee of the Society. Claire has extensive experience of research and teaching in policing. Prior to beginning my PhD Claire held research positions at The Police Foundation the criminal justice consultancy Morgan Harris Burrows and the Home Office Regional Research Team in the East Midlands. Claire is currently an Associate Inspector for Leadership with HMICFRS and Academic Advisor on the College of Policing’s National First Line Supervision Guideline Committee

Power authority and leadership

Sociology of policing

Police occupational culture/s

Diversity in policing

Ramshaw, P., Rowe, M. and Davis, C. (2025) 'Police leadership and legitimacy in the context of a global pandemic' Criminology & Criminal Justice https://doi.org/10.1177/17488958251406236

Perry, S. and Davis, C. (2025) Revaluing management work in leadership: the frontline supervisor perspective' Policing: An International Journal 48(4): 716-733 https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-05-2024-0083

Rowe, M., Davis, C. and Ramshaw, P. (2025) 'Managing impressions: performance and identity in police leadership in the pandemic' Policing and Society 35(3): 345-360 https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2024.2407397

Davis, C. (2023) 'Researching Power and the Powerful: Reflections from Police Leadership Research' in D. Martin and S. Tong (eds.) 'Introduction to Policing Research: Taking Lessons from Practice' (Second Edition) https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003276456

Davis, C. (2022) 'Revisiting police reform: Rank-Neutral Space as resistance and conformity' Theoretical Criminology 27(1): 126-146 https://doi.org/10.1177/13624806211073694

Davis C. and Silvestri M. (2020) 'Critical Perspectives on Police Leadership' Bristol: Policy Press https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/critical-perspectives-on-police-leadership

Davis C. (2020) 'Rank Matters: Police leadership and the authority of rank' Policing and Society 30(4): 446-461

Davis C. (2019) ‘Police Leadership and the Authority of Rank’ in P. Ramshaw M. Simpson and M. Silvestri (eds.) ‘Police Leadership: Changing Landscapes’ Bristol: Policy Press https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783030214685

Davis C. (2018) ‘Book Review: Leading the police: a history of chief constables 1835-2017’ Policing and Society 28(6) 748-750 DOI: 10.1080/10439463.2018.1484605

Davis C. and Bailey D. (2018) ‘Police Leadership: The Challenges for Developing Contemporary Practice’ International Journal of Emergency Services 7(1):13-23 https://doi.org/10.1108/IJES-04-2017-0022"

Police leadership and command

Critical incident management in the police

Recruitment selection and promotion in the police

Police training education and development

Police occupational culture

Diversity in the police

Doing Criminological Research (Undergraduate)

Critical Issues in Policing (Postgraduate)

Dissertations (Postgraduate)