Lenneke van Lith

Lenneke van Lith is a PhD Candidate at the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR), focusing on police-citizen interactions and related violence. She is actively contributing to research in evidence-based policing and video analysis methodologies through the Violent Interactions project.

Her educational background includes a Master's degree in Legal Psychology (cum laude) from Maastricht University, completed in 2020. This strong foundation in psychology has informed her current research in criminal justice contexts.

Van Lith's research interests center on understanding and improving police-citizen interactions, with particular focus on:

• Violence by and against the police
• Evidence-based policing approaches
• Video analysis techniques for studying criminal events
• De-escalation strategies in police encounters

Her recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on analyzing police-citizen interactions through video footage and ethnographic methods. Her work examines de-escalation techniques, behavioral patterns in violent encounters, and the development of analytical frameworks for understanding concerning citizen behavior during police interactions. This research contributes significantly to evidence-based policing with practical applications for police training and procedures.

Van Lith serves as a member of the NSCR Works Council and contributes to the institute's research themes on Police Research and Criminal Events. Her methodologically sophisticated approach combines body-worn camera analysis with ethnographic observation to advance understanding of police-citizen dynamics and develop practical interventions for reducing violence during encounters.