Sarah Watson

Sarah Watson is a Senior Lecturer in Policing at Staffordshire University, specializing in criminology and armed violence. She holds a BA, MA, and Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education, all from Coventry University. Her research focuses on mass shootings, gender dynamics in armed violence, and the role of law enforcement in mitigating firearms-related crime. She has contributed to EU-funded projects like the EFFECT initiative and authored UNODC modules on firearms crime.

Her academic qualifications include:

• BA (Hons) Criminology, Coventry University
• MA Criminology, Coventry University
• Postgraduate Certificate in Higher and Professional Education, Coventry University

Research interests span armed violence’s societal impact, human rights implications, and legislative responses. Recent publications analyze mass shooting policy frameworks and firearms control in Europe. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and active in the BSC Teaching and Learning Network.

Her work bridges academic research and policy, with contributions to global initiatives like UNODC’s E4J programme. Current research explores mass shooting incidents’ framing and legislative repercussions in Europe.