"In this talk I want to work through the idea of policing without boundaries. I’m not referring here to a style of policing which operates without limit or constraint; rather, I want to think of policing as a spatially fluid rather than a territorially bounded set of practices. What kind of policing is possible if we dispense with conventional notions of fixed organisational spaces and segmented operational terrains - such as police force areas, bobbies on the beat, hot-spots, crime scenes, kettling, no-go areas, or red-light districts? Using the contemporary policing of paedophilia as a case study, I want to introduce an alternative vocabulary and framework for thinking about policing’s spatial imaginaries."

Crumpled Paper, by Sherrie Thai of Shaireproductions.com. Source: Flickr (CC)

Elaine Campbell is a Professor of Criminology at Newcastle University in the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology. She teaches courses in cultural criminology, everyday life, visual cultures and visual methodologies, and researches and publishes on the cultural dynamics of crime and punishment, with a focus on how these are visually, performatively and discursively mobilised. Her current theoretical interests centre on the post-political landscapes of plural policing, alongside a critical exploration of prisoner creativity as political expression. Recent publications have examined stalking as choreography; cultures of victimhood; crime, affect and the city; the cultural politics of counter-terrorism; and the emotional life of governmental power.

In the past we've had some fantastic talks, some have even gone on to became a full talk at a future date. 

If there is something you're passionate enough about to turn in to a 10 minute talk, please let us know at: http://tiny.cc/skepticsopenmicnight 

This month, solicitors Gary Broadfield (@GaslanB) and David Cook (@CyberSolicitor) (full bios below) will be discussing the history and development of the online cryptocurrency, Bitcoin. We shall examine how Bitcoin operates in practice and review the potential positives, and negatives of Bitcoin as a currency. We will then focus upon how the advantages of Bitcoin have led to the legitimacy of the currency facing a challenge as it is adopted by criminals to facilitate frauds, money laundering and other online crime.  The seminar will then deal with the challenges faced by national regulators in monitoring and taxing the use of Bitcoin and investigating suspected misuse. Finally we will discuss potential future developments and how Bitcoin might develop and grow in future months and years.

Both Gary and David have experience in court defending both high-tech “cybercrime” cases such as persecutions for filesharing, as well as regularly defending the most serious allegations of financial crime and regulatory investigations carried out within England & Wales, and are in a unique position to set out the challenges posed to both traditional fiat currencies and authorities by decentralised and semi anonymous online currencies, together with the responses of governments around the world to those threats.

Gary Broadfield is a partner at Garstangs Burrows Bussin and has been involved in defending some of the most serious and complex criminal cases prosecuted in recent years, with an emphasis on high value fraud and white collar crime but with a growing practice related to criminality carried out on the "Dark Web."

David Cook is a Solicitor Advocate at Pannone, part of Slater and Gordon, and is recognised as an expert in cyber crime and data security. He successfully defended clients in prosecutions for online file sharing and has acted for both Richard O’Dwyer and members of Anonymous with regard to allegations of hacking in both the US and UK.