Dr Ali Malik

Profile

I am a Lecturer in Criminal Justice at the University of Leeds and Assessment Lead for the School of Law. My research explores the intersections of policing, emergency planning, preparedness and response, networked governance, climate vulnerability, and climate adaptation. Previously, I was Assistant Professor in Criminology and Policing at Northumbria University (2019-2023) where I led the policing degree programme. I have also worked as Associate Inspector for HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (2017-2021). I completed my doctoral thesis at the University of Edinburgh (2013-2017), examining the police governance and accountability arrangements in Scotland following reform in 2013. I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

My current work examines how local policing and governance actors, together with communities, prepare for the impacts of the climate crisis, and how experiences of extreme weather events inform climate adaptation strategies. I lead the climate change strand of The Yorkshire Policing Academic Centre of Excellence (led by Professor Dan Birks and Professor Adam Crawford).

I have recently led the following projects:

• Equitable approaches to emergency planning, preparedness and response – funded by ESRC Creating Opportunities through Local Innovation Fellowship and ESRC Impact Acceleration Account, in partnership with Greater Manchester Combined Authority (June 2025–ongoing).
• Policing and community resilience in the context of climate change – funded by ESRC Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre (2024–2025).
• Preparedness guidance for extreme weather events – University of Leeds REDI Pilot Fund, in partnership with the London Resilience Unit (Greater London Authority) (2024–2025).
• Knowledge exchange on policing and the climate crisis – Michael Beverley Innovation Fellowship (2023–2024).

I regularly engage with policymakers and practitioners, contributing to parliamentary scrutiny, thematic inspections, and national debates on policing reform, governance, and accountability. My research has been featured in The Conversation, BBC, The Economist, Financial Times, and other media outlets. I have published extensively on police governance and accountability, including my monograph The Politics of Police Governance: Scottish Police Reform, Localism, and Epistocracy (Policy Press).

Responsibilities

• Co-lead, The Yorkshire Policing Academic Centre of Excellence
• Assessment Lead, School of Law
• Co-lead, The Ecological Law and Justice Group

Research interests

My research focuses on the intersections of policing, governance, climate vulnerability and adaptation. I am interested in how policing, local governance actors, and communities, prepare for climate emergencies and disasters, and how experiences of extreme weather events shape adaptation strategies.

Key themes include:

Policing and climate adaptation – the role of policing and multi-agency networks in climate emergency planning and response.
Governance and accountability – specifically, structures and practices that shape decision-making in policing and emergency planning and response contexts.
Inclusive and equitable approaches to policing and local governance – including emergency planning and response in the context of climate vulnerability and diverse social groups.
The role of knowledge and expertise in policing and networked governance – specifically the role of diverse forms of knowledge in shaping policing and governance.

• Policing and community resilience in the context of climate change

Qualifications

• PhD Criminology, University of Edinburgh
• MSc Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Edinburgh
• PG Cert. in Academic Practice (Distinction), Northumbria University

Professional memberships

• European Society of Criminology
• British Society of Criminology
• ESRC Vulnerability and Policing Futures Research Centre
• Priestley Centre for Climate Futures
• Higher Education Academy (Fellow)

Student education

Assessment Lead, School of Law (September 2025 – ongoing).

Research groups and institutes

• Centre for Criminal Justice Studies

Current postgraduate researchers

• Saad Alahmad