John is an award-winning academic and an extensively published researcher with expertise in areas relating to counter terrorism. He has been a Senior Lecturer within the Institute of Policing since 2019 and is responsible for writing and delivering modules for our Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship and Degree Holder Entry programmes. John also manages relationships across our police partnership to ensure that our student officers get the best possible start to their policing careers.
John's teaching career began at Birmingham City University in 2010, delivering lectures to undergraduate students whilst completing his PhD in Criminology. He then progressed into a role as a full time member of staff and began managing a team of part time lecturers. During his time at BCU, John was nominated for both the 'Engaging and Inspiring Tutor of the Year' and 'Personal Tutor of the Year' awards on multiple occasions. In 2018, he won the University's Lecturer of the Year award.
As a module co-ordinator John has devised, written and delivered the following modules:
- Britain and Terrorism: Threat and Response – A third-year undergraduate module which looks at the current threat to the UK posed by terrorists and the British State’s response to these threats.
- Introduction to Security Studies – A first-year undergraduate module which seeks to give students a broad overview of contemporary world security, the main security theories and how security has been widened & deepened since the end of the cold war.
- Principled Policing – A second-year undergraduate module which links ethical theory with policing. This module attempts to get students thinking about why police officers, when exercising discretion, make the decisions they do and to consider how an understanding of ethics might alter these decisions.
- Contemporary Issues in Policing – A second-year undergraduate module that looks at the current issues surrounding policing in the UK. Topics looked at include the Leveson Enquiry, the Windsor Report, the Hillsborough cover-up and others.
John has also taught on the following modules:
- Intelligence & Security Since 1945
- Introduction to Policing
- What to Count & When to Count it?
- Social Construction of Deviance & Social Control
John's PhD in Criminology included primary data collection via qualitative, semi-structured interviews. The research interviews were with serving police officers from the West Midlands Police Counter Terrorism Unit. He has first-hand experience of being an ‘outsider’ in a closed group and had to navigate the many ethical issues which are inevitable when researching in such a sensitive area. He is familiar with both Nvivo and SPSS.
Professional memberships and activities
- Senior fellow of the Higher Education Academy
- Membership Chair for the Society for Terrorism Research (this is more than a membership – I am on the governing board and help run the society)
- Special Operations Research Association Member
Academic qualifications
- PhD in Criminology, Birmingham City University
- Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, Merit, Birmingham City University
- Post Graduate Certificate in Research Methods, Merit, Birmingham City University
- MSc. In Terrorism, Security & Policing, Merit, University of Leicester
- BA Hons. In History, 2:1, University of Kent
- Institute of Leadership and Management Level 3 Award in Management
Expertise
- terrorism
- counter-terrorism
- radicalization
- policing
- the role of the intelligence services
- the use of force by state officials
Research interests
John's research interests are centered on the links between policing, counter terrorism, terrorism and security. His PhD research saw him undertake a qualitative case study into how the PREVENT stream of the United Kingdom’s CONTEST counter terrorism strategy has been implemented in the West Midlands. John also regularly provides comments to the media on terrorism, counter terrorism, radicalization, policing, and the role of the intelligence services and the use of force by state officials.
He is interested in undertaking research or working on projects in any of the areas mentioned above.
Teaching
John teaches Evidence Based Policing to student officers on the Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP) and is Course Leader for the West Midlands Police DHEP.
Since joining the Institute of Policing, John has written and developed the following modules:
- Understanding Crime and Crime Prevention
- Crime and Society
- Research Methods for Evidence Based Policing
- Evidence Based Policing Research Project
- Evidence Based Policing
Publications
- Bahadur Lamb, J. (Forthcoming), "Britain and Terrorism: A Short History", Reaktion Books: London
- Bahadur Lamb, J. (2020), “Death by SWAT; The Three Elements of Swatting” in Lynes, A. & Kelly, C. (2020), Next Generation Deviance, Policy Press: London
- Bahadur Lamb, J. (2018), “Cyber War Has Arrived?” in the Journal of Special Operations, (4): 1, pp. 39 – 47.
- Bahadur Lamb, J. (2019), “You Cannot Consent to be Harmed During Sex but you Can in the Boxing Ring” in Lynes, A. & Treadwell, J. (eds.), 50 Facts Everyone Should Know About Crime & Punishment in Britain, Policy Press: London.
- Bahadur Lamb, J. (2015), “What Makes Criminology Exciting?” in K. Vaidya, (ed.), Criminal Justice for the Curious: Why Study Criminal Justice. Canberra University Press: Canberra
- Bahadur Lamb, J. (2014), “Gendered counter terrorism? The potential impact of police officer perceptions of PREVENT policing” in Behavioural Sciences of Terrorism & Political Aggression, (6): 3, pp. 183-194.
- Bahadur Lamb, J. (2013), “Preventing Violent Extremism; A Policing Case Study of the West Midlands” in Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, (7): 1, pp. 88-95.
- Bahadur Lamb, J. (2013), “Light and Dark; The Contrasting Approaches of British Counter Terrorism” in Journal of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism, (8): 1, pp. 54-65.
- Bahadur Lamb, J. (2012), “Is There a Light and Dark side to British Counter Terrorism?” in Criminal Justice Matters, (90): 1, pp. 36-37.
CONFERENCE PAPERS
- Society for Terrorism Research Annual Conference 2014, From the ‘Suspect Community’ to the ‘Partnership Community’: altering police/community counter-terror relations or mutual gain, UMASS: Boston, USA.
- Policing Extremes: Environments of Disorder Workshop 2013, Community Counter Terrorism, Queens University Belfast.
- Society for Terrorism Research Annual Conference 2013, Gendered Counter Terrorism? Some early findings, University of East London.
- Political Studies Association Annual Conference 2012, PREVENT; A Qualitative Enquiry into Police Officer’s Perspectives, Europa Hotel Belfast
- Global Insecurities Conference 2011, Conceptualising Terrorism as Foucauldian Spectacle, University of Leeds.
John is an Associate Editor of the Journal – Behavioural Sciences of Terrorism & Political Aggression.