Andrew Wooff

Dr. Andrew Wooff is an Associate Professor of Criminology at Edinburgh Napier University where he serves as Head of Social Sciences and previously served as Programme Leader for BSc (Hons) Policing and Criminology. He is affiliated with the School of Applied Sciences and the Social Sciences Research Group, focusing his work at the intersection of criminology, geography, and rural sociology.

Dr. Wooff completed his PhD in 2014 at the University of Dundee under the supervision of Professor Nick Fyfe, focusing on anti-social behaviour in rural Scotland. During his PhD studies, he was seconded into the Police Reform team to research partnership working. He subsequently completed an ESRC-funded Post-Doc at the Centre for Criminological Research at the University of Sheffield, which explored police custody in England and Wales.

His research interests span multiple dimensions of policing, with particular emphasis on how police power is applied across different populations and settings. Dr. Wooff has developed significant expertise in rural policing, police custody practices, vulnerability assessment, and the role of police volunteers. His work takes a transdisciplinary approach, drawing from criminology, geography, and rural sociology to examine the complex relationships between police, communities, and vulnerable populations.

Analysis of Dr. Wooff's recent publications reveals a strong focus on pandemic-related policing challenges, particularly examining Scotland's pluralized policing responses to COVID-19. His research also consistently addresses rural policing contexts, police custody environments, and innovative approaches to police-community partnerships. A notable trend is his increasing focus on interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly between law enforcement and public health sectors.

• European Society of Criminology Policing Group: Best article 2022
• Editorial board for the British Journal of Criminology (2023-present)
• Editorial Board: Bristol University Press 'Rural Crime book series' (2020-present)
• Editorial board: Palgrave Critical studies in policing book series (2020-present)
• Member of Arts and Humanities Peer Review College (2022-present)

Dr. Wooff currently supervises 4 PhD students and has successfully guided at least one student to completion. His grant portfolio includes significant externally funded research, with 3 projects as Principal Investigator totaling £33,000 in the past 5 years, plus 3 additional projects as Co-Investigator totaling £308,800. His current research includes an SFC-funded project (£44k) examining pluralised policing responses to the pandemic in Scotland and an ESRC-funded project (£36k) exploring local authority partnership responses to the pandemic. Dr. Wooff serves as co-lead for the Education and Leadership network within the Scottish Institute of Policing Research (SIPR) and is an active member of the British Society of Criminology.