Shane Horgan

AI and Community Safety: Speculations on prospective risks and challenges – Safer Communities Scotland Since the launch of the first publicly available Large Language Model tool in 2022, the so-called ‘AI’ boom has only intensified. Despite the sustained hype around the transformative possibilities and efficiencies promised, there remains some debate about the truly revolutionary nature of generative AI tools, at least in their current form. Nevertheless, there are some indications that AI tools like large language models, image and video generators, may have important consequences for community safety in the future. Like the internet before it, albeit more humble, there are some obvious ways AI tools may enable malicious actors to pursue criminal activity more effectively, incite public disorder, and/or undermine the legitimacy of public institutions like the government or the police. Below, I discuss two areas in which we already have some examples of AI use and consider how these might impact local communities and organisations that serve them.

SPECIAL FEATURE: How does AI reshape community safety in Scotland? From sophisticated fraud to disinformation campaigns, Dr @drshanehorgan.bsky.social examines the emerging risks – and why addressing social inequalities is key to building resilience.

Read the full blog: shorturl.at/Mxf8D

Computational threat assessments: The relationship between online threats and real-world action | Paul Gill Fully funded PhD available in our research group - https://lnkd.in/e2FFxzEf

Come join the UCL CT Research Group. www.linkedin.com/posts/paul-g...

SIPR is pleased to announce Dr. Niall Hamilton-Smith and Dr. Shane Horgan as new Associate Directors. Huge thanks to Professors Megan O’Neill and Lesley McMillan for their leadership and contributions. Exciting times ahead for SIPR’s research and collaboration. #SIPR

We love speaking to pupils/learners at schools and colleges about all things Criminology and Social Sciences - thanks for having us! @drshanehorgan.bsky.social

Lecturer in Criminology, Full time, Fixed Term at Edinburgh Napier University Searching for an academic job? Explore this Lecturer in Criminology, Full time, Fixed Term opening on jobs.ac.uk! Click to view more details and browse other academic jobs.

📢 2 fixed term positions are currently available within our criminology team 📢

1 Lecturer in Criminology
Full time (35 hours p/w), Fixed Term (9 months)
Grade 6 - £46,049 to £58,225 per annum
Colleagues at the PhD submission/viva stage are welcome to apply
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOH075/l...

Check out our awesome colleague kicking ass and taking names at Edinburgh book festival. 👏👏👏👏

In addition to their fantastic edited collection, keep your eyes peeled for the innovative work they are developing on arts in prisons in Scotland. Exciting stuff to come! @edinburghnapier.bsky.social

Exciting funding opportunity to pursue research that addresses questions at the heart of current policing challenges in Scotland with scope for significant impact 👇👇
EOIs due 4th of July with application deadline of 23rd July

🎓 Fully funded PhD at Abertay University & SIPR: Enabling People to Identify Deepfakes. £20,780/year, fees paid, starts Oct 2025. Use eye-tracking to research deepfake detection. Apply by 30 June 👉 www.abertay.ac.uk/about/workin... #PhD #Cybersecurity #Deepfakes

Screenshot of the 1919 magazine article headline, 'Bordering on the impossible', in white text with a dark blue background.

Stirling criminologist and social statistics lecturer Dr Ben Matthews is interviewed in a @1919magazine.bsky.social article on crime rates and the difficulties of comparative analysis.
@thesccjr.bsky.social @socsciresearchstir.bsky.social #Criminology

🔗 Article 1919magazine.co.uk/june2025/sco...

An optimal conclusion to an Irish marathon

Man standing at lectern under slide saying Scottish International Policing Conference

Women at lectern under slide saying Gender-based harms, technology, and radicalisation

Women at presenter's desk by slide headed The INTERACT Project

Woman at presenter's desk, by slide headed Support in decision making?

Scenes from #SIPC2025
@drshanehorgan.bsky.social opening the day, welcoming @drlisasugiura.bsky.social who delivered a powerful keynote on GBV, technology and radicalisation; then a great panel on police use of tech including Dr Estelle Clayton and Prof Sofie de Kimpe.

SIPC2025 is live! 🎉 A great welcome from Prof Gary Hutchison, Dean of Applied Sciences at @edinburghnapier.bsky.social , highlighted the power of research in policing. @drshanehorgan.bsky.social opened the event. Presenting is Dr Lisa Sugiura’s Nick Fyfe Lecture #SIPC2025

This past year it has felt particularly important to connect with all my students individually, and work my hardest to help them bring their experiences and understanding of the world into the classroom. I am truly SO thankful for this "Best Lecturer" nomination, perhaps I might be onto something.

"Kirstin Anderson opened by pulling no punches". I have zero trouble believing that! As always, here's @kir-anderson.bsky.social taking hard questions head on and leading exactly the kind of conversation we should be having about prisons: about social harms, academic pavidity, and lessons unlearned.

Delighted to have the opportunity to visit School of Law and Criminology at @maynoothuniversity.ie tomorrow to speak about some recent work on strategic communications and ‘influence policing’. @the-sipr.bsky.social

Abstract policing, Covid-19 and the ‘rural idyll’ in Scotland The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on rural ‘policing’ (broadly defined to include a range of institutions involved in order maintenance) remains relatively under-discussed and under-theorised. Th...

**New paper** 'Abstract Policing, Covid-19 and the 'rural idyll' in Scotland' has been published in Policing and Society

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Thanks to the team Jamie Buchan, @drshanehorgan.bsky.social and Andy Tatnell

@edinburghnapier.bsky.social @socscinapier.bsky.social

Did you know? We now offer 3 #masters degrees as part of our subject area's masters suite: in criminology, in joint criminology and forensic psychology, and in social research. All 3 programmes focus on applied learning and offer an optional work placement 💼

Check out the information below 👇

An insight into real world practice as our students heard statements from the Scottish Police Federation and GEOAmey on the impact of COVID-19 on their organisations. Thanks to @kir-anderson.bsky.social and @frasoliman.bsky.social for organising and @covid19inquiry.scot for a warm welcome.

🚨Call for Papers Alert 🚨
#LukeHubbard #LisaSugiura and I are Seeking Contributions for an Edited Collection Focused on Researching Hate! Further Details can be Found Below 👇👇
Closing date for submissions is Friday 28th March! #Retweet #SpreadtheWord #Methods #Ethics #ResearcherSafety

Giving a talk at Manchester Digital Futures today on Influence Policing work with @drshanehorgan.bsky.social and other lovely people - events.manchester.ac.uk/event/event:... I'll explore some of the emerging ways that police and counter terror are using active digital influence for Prevent policing

Typing passwords #cybersecurity

Narrative Criminology Symposium 2025: Narrating Harm, Narrating Hope. Hosted by the Department of Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy, Swansea University.

Hi 👋 Criminologists and those interested in narrative methods - please share…

Abstracts have been extended to 3rd March for the 5th Narrative Criminology Symposium - takes place from 15th-17th June 2025 in Swansea, Wales, UK

#narrativecriminology

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/narrative-...

Very cool to get my copy of this, written by my brilliant colleague. #antiracism #highereducation #equality #equity #EDI #DEI

🔊Scottish Parliament TV could become a target for deepfakes says new research published today by SCCJR.

Authors Ben Collier @susansegfault.bsky.social Morgan Currie & Benedetta Catanzariti @benedetta.bsky.social

#deepfakes #AI #artificialintelligence #chamberfakes #scottish #research

Front page of report showing two buildings intercut together as a collage

We were commissioned by Scottish Parliament to look at the threats posed to them by emerging 'deepfake' technology - so-called 'chamberfakes' of parliamentary business. Report published today with SCCJR www.sccjr.ac.uk/publication/...

My writing process is usually:

a) I got this
b) well, fuck
c) wait that part was real good
d) wait no that part sucks
e) I am a god of this place
f) the fuck is this shit, who do I think I am, why am I here
g) oh man I just figured it all out
h) mistakes were made
I) existential dread

New writing!

I've been shuffling between atrocity criminology and police studies with @roxana-pessoa.bsky.social, exploring police as atrocity perpetrators. The resulting draft chapter is now available on @ssrn.bsky.social:

Police and Atrocity Crimes
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

(1/4)

I was pleased to be invited to write a short viewpoint for the Scottish justice and social affairs magazine 1919, to reflect on the recent tragedy on Edinburgh's Cowgate in early November, the impacts of social media, and police investigations. 1919magazine.co.uk/december2024...