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Dr David Lowe

Senior Research Fellow

David is a senior research fellow at Leeds Beckett's Law School. Prior to entering academia David was police officer up to his retirement from the service in 2007 where he carried out various uniform and CID roles. During the latter part of his police career he began studying part time. After retiring as a detective sergeant, he began his academic career at Liverpool John Moores University's Law School.

Mainly due to his background and operational practice, David's main research interests are in terrorism & security, policing and criminal law. He is widely published in these areas and his expertise has been called on to be an expert witness that has included the Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorism unit, SO15 on terrorists' use of tradecraft (counter-surveillance techniques) and for the Irish state prosecutor and the Irish police (An Garda Siochana) regarding evidence obtained from electronic communications. he has also provided expert witness reports in a number of cases involving extreme far-right inspired terrorism. David is consistently requested by national and international media for expert commentary in his research interests.

David is currently involved in a number of projects related to Prevent strategy that assists and safeguards those who are vulnerable to being drawn towards terrorism. He is currently assisting the Northern Ireland Assembly on drafting the Hate Crime bill. David is a panel expert on the UN's UNESCO Chair on Violent Extremism. He is a member of the Counter-Terrorism Advisory Group and the All Party Parliamentary Committee on a Fit and Healthy Childhood, where he attends meetings at the Houses of Parliament at Westminster to provide advice on Prevent. David is a member if the Academic Resilience & Security Community which is a network of universities formed to promote academic engagement in solving challenges in national security and resilience in the public sector. Academic RiSC is recognized by the Home Office and other Government Departments as a portal to academia for this area. David is a member of the Honourable Society of the Inner temple (one of the UK's four inns of Court)

Current Teaching

LLB UK Anti-Terrorism Law

Module Leader for Global Security, Counter-Terrorism and Justice module on the LLM International Law: Conflict, Security and Human Rights.

Research Interests

Terrorism & Security
Extremist ideology/Paramilitaries & Hate Crime Policing (including states other than the UK)
Human Rights
Criminal Law

All of David's research areas are linked and emanate from his previous occupation as a police officer where he investigated these areas during his service. Human rights law is embedded in in the research areas as it is in investigation and prosecution cases. During investigations the police must ensure their actions are compatible with human rights legislation as do prosecution services during the investigation and when preparing and presenting the case.

In addition to providing an expert witness service in these areas, David is currently involved in several research projects. One is based in the north of England dealing with Special Education Needs and Disability children and young people (SEND), who are vulnerable to being exploited by extremists and organised crime criminals. In 2024, he co-wrote a government report covering SEND children and young people who have adverse childhood experiences where his input examined the impact extremists and paramilitaries (predominantly in Northern Ireland) have on those children who suffer from various forms of mental illness.

David is also involved in a project working with European partners examining online and offline hate crime and extremism, working on recommending changes in legislation, policy and practice (mainly with police and prosecution services) to increase compatibility in these areas in order enhance an effective international co-operation between police and prosecution services in Europe. He is embarking on a similar project dealing with radicalisation methods utilised by extremists.