Emma Spooner is a lecturer at the University of Sunderland delivering work-based learning programmes to practitioners involved in investigative practice and policing. She draws on 21 years of policing experience as a front-line practitioner working across the spectrum of volume and priority crime, serious and complex crime and major crime investigation to help to de-mystify the research process and contextualise it into daily working practices. Helping students to embrace research and understand its application to professional practice and workplace development lies at the heart of her teaching.

Bob Cooper was a detective for 25 years. During that time he worked as a mentor to his colleagues and delivered numerous training events both to internal and external parties around aspects of investigative practice including decision making. He has a passion for understanding investigative decision making and has used this to underpin discussions with frontline colleagues to help them to develop and maintain standards within the workplace.