For What Matters Lecture

2025 is the twentieth anniversary of the '7/7' London suicide bombings which killed 52 innocent people and the fatal shooting two weeks later of Jean Charles de Menezes by the Metropolitan Police, in the mistaken belief that he was a terrorist.  There have already been two recent TV documentaries to mark the anniversary and more are scheduled.

Professor Nick Hardwick, who was responsible for the Independent Police Complaints Commission's investigation into the shooting of Jean Charles, will use his personal experience of this example and his work in other controversial parts of the criminal justice system to reflect on how we respond to some of the most painful and controversial tragedies when the state seems to have failed in its obligations to keep us safe.

Professor Nick Hardwick is Emeritus Professor of Criminal Justice at Royal Holloway following his retirement from the Department of Law and Criminology where he taught and researched about criminal justice from 2016 to 2024 . He had graduated from University of Hull with a degree in English Literature in 1979 and the first half of Nick's career was leading organisations in the voluntary sector. He worked with young offenders for Nacro, led Centrepoint's work with young homeless people and then ran the British Refugee Council. He moved to senior roles in the criminal justice system as the first Executive Chair of the Independent Police Complaints Commission from 2003 to 2010, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons from 2010 to 2016 and Chair of the Parole Board from 2016 to 2018. He has now returned to his roots as Chair of Nacro which supports around 28,000 adults and young people across all its services each year and who have offended or who are at risk of offending.

This lecture is part of our For What Matters public lecture series. Guest speakers and our academic community are invited to talk about what matters to them, share knowledge and insight, spark conversations which address current critical issues and global challenges, and promote positive social impact.

Admission is free, but booking is essential.

Professor Nick Hardwick