PhD Study : Human Rights and Protest Policing in the United Kingdom

Apply and key information  

Summary

This project examines how, and why, the police use different types of force in their encounter with protesters in the United Kingdom (1998–2018). It is an important topic because if the police use force disproportionately, and selectively, it can undermine the state’s commitment to provide an open space for citizens to exercise their basic human rights, including the right to privacy, assembly, demonstration and protest. There is, however, very little research on this subject in the United Kingdom, which is surprising not only because it is evidently important, but also because it is a subject of considerable current interest.

This project proposes a comparative case study of police forces in the United Kingdom to develop our understanding of protest policing in liberal democracies.

The project addresses five primary research questions:

1. What type of protest do the police target?

2. How, and why, do the police use different types of police powers – coercion, channeling, surveillance, infiltration – in their encounter with protesters.

3. How, and to what extent, do police use different combinations of tactics in their encounter with protesters?

4. How, if at all, does the statutory framework regulate the police in their encounter with protesters?

5. Does this framework provide adequate protection for citizen’s human rights?

This project will make three important contributions to the scholarly and public debate on protest policing. First, it will provide an empirical overview – the first of its kind – of police presence at public protest in the United Kingdom. Second, the project will provide a theoretical account of how, and why, the police use different types of powers – especially the power to use covert tactics – in their encounter with protesters, which is especially relevant in the wake of revelations about police use of undercover officers to infiltrate environmental protest groups. Third, the project will generate prescriptions to guide stakeholders, who might seek to re-design legislation, policy and codes of practice to protect individual liberties, and reduce social harm, while still providing the police with adequate tools to, inter alia, maintain public order, and prevent and detect crime.

The project uses a mixed-methods design: an in-depth study to develop our theoretical understanding of how, and under what conditions, the police use different types of force in their encounter with protesters; and a large-n analysis of all constabularies in the UK to test existing theoretical expectations about why the police target some protest groups, but not others. The project uses an inter-disciplinary lens to apply theoretical insights from the comparative literature on protest policing, social movement theory, and organizational studies. We expect to rely heavily on media analysis, semi-structured interviews, non-participant observation, and focus groups to analyse how, and why, the police use different powers in their encounter with protesters, and whether these different types of encounter have wider implications for the relationship between citizens and state in an open society.

Essential criteria

Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a subject relevant to the proposed area of study.

We may also consider applications from those who hold equivalent qualifications, for example, a Lower Second Class Honours Degree plus a Master’s Degree with Distinction.

In exceptional circumstances, the University may consider a portfolio of evidence from applicants who have appropriate professional experience which is equivalent to the learning outcomes of an Honours degree in lieu of academic qualifications.

  • Research proposal of 2000 words detailing aims, objectives, milestones and methodology of the project

Desirable Criteria

If the University receives a large number of applicants for the project, the following desirable criteria may be applied to shortlist applicants for interview.

  • A comprehensive and articulate personal statement

Funding and eligibility

The University offers the following levels of support:

Vice Chancellors Research Studentship (VCRS)

The following scholarship options are available to applicants worldwide:

  • Full Award: (full-time tuition fees + £19,000 (tbc))
  • Part Award: (full-time tuition fees + £9,500)
  • Fees Only Award: (full-time tuition fees)

These scholarships will cover full-time PhD tuition fees for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance) and will provide a £900 per annum research training support grant (RTSG) to help support the PhD researcher.

Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Please note: you will automatically be entered into the competition for the Full Award, unless you state otherwise in your application.

Department for the Economy (DFE)

The scholarship will cover tuition fees at the Home rate and a maintenance allowance of £19,000 (tbc) per annum for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance).

This scholarship also comes with £900 per annum for three years as a research training support grant (RTSG) allocation to help support the PhD researcher.

  • Candidates with pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, who also satisfy a three year residency requirement in the UK prior to the start of the course for which a Studentship is held MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance.
  • Republic of Ireland (ROI) nationals who satisfy three years’ residency in the UK prior to the start of the course MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance (ROI nationals don’t need to have pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to qualify).
  • Other non-ROI EU applicants are ‘International’ are not eligible for this source of funding.
  • Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Due consideration should be given to financing your studies. Further information on cost of living

The Doctoral College at Ulster University

Key dates

Submission deadline
Monday 18 February 2019
12:00AM

Interview Date
25 to 27 March 2019

Preferred student start date
September 2019

Applying

Apply Online  

Contact supervisor

Dr Shane MacGiollabhui