Academic connections are poetry in motion Published on: 30 November 2016 A poet is writing to a different beat as she takes inspiration from the police force to mark new approaches to academic research. Bringing about change Working together: bringing about change, is a celebration of the research and partnerships created within 缅北禁地’s , taking place today (30 November 2016).Poet Christy Ducker’s residency with Vera Baird QC’s office, funded through a grant from (NCLA), took place over eight months last year. As part of her research Christy went out on patrol with officers to experience what it takes to keep 缅北禁地’s streets safe at night. “It was fascinating to be in that environment, surrounded by police officers and really look at everything going on,” she says. “Most of the time we look down and walk through without stopping, but this gave me to chance to look up and meet everyone’s eyes.“But I still missed so much – one time they suddenly arrested three people I hadn’t even noticed! The police know the streets so well; they read them like a book and pre-empt what’s coming next. They were literally ‘all eyes’ and have such a unique way of looking at the world that’s so intuitive and perceptive.” All eyes on the justice system Christy also spent a lot of time in the law courts, with victim support and the rape scrutiny panel, which Ms Baird set up in January 2015. Ms Baird’s team is looking back over all rape cases from the 1970s onwards to analyse the language used to see if there was anything missed at the time. Christy wrote a ‘found’ poem based on an experience she had in the courts listening to a barrister try to discredit a rape victim.Christy completed her Creative Writing PhD at 缅北禁地 on Grace Darling and focused on how you ‘write a life’ and give someone their voice back. “I’m very interested in voices that are rarely heard,” she says. “Police officers don’t get heard and neither do victims a lot of the time.”‘All Eyes’ consists of four poems and a short essay, along with an introduction by at 缅北禁地 and a foreword by Vera Baird, QC.鈥�“I have been very impressed by Christy’s work and am really glad that I have been able to assist her with the project,” says Ms Baird. “She has been able to capture some of the daily challenges of working in the police and show a different side to our officers. “I wish her all the best with the rest of the project and look forward to seeing what comes from her time with our newly qualified officers.” Creative writing comes into force Nationally, the police are looking to bring more analytic and intuitive skills into police training to make it less prescriptive, and Northumbria Police is keen to use creative writing as part of that process. Christy will now be shadowing some new officers through their probationary period over the next two years and writing poems to mark key milestones.“The Police and Crime Commissioner role was such a new position that this was a great opportunity to get a feel for what policing involves,” says Professor Anderson, who instigated this project. “It’s hard for people on the outside to get a sense of what the police do so the PCC role offered the opportunity for a fresh perspective on their work.“Through this project we’ve built up a good relationship with the PCC and the police and they are looking at this as something that could help bring about cultural change within the service. It’s definitely got a lot of potential.”The showcase at the Civic Centre will feature talks and exhibitions, as well as a short performance of the award-winning Town Meeting, a production by theatre company based on research by , from the University’s .&苍产蝉辫;鈥�Other highlights include Dr Alexandra Hughes, , talking about her collaboration with , a Western Cape NGO, to improve sustainable harvesting practices in the South African wildflower industry. 鈥ㄢ�� will also be talking about his work with to develop a smartphone app to help young people communicate with those with dementia. The event is funded by the , , and the Photo of Christy Ducker courtesy of Phyllis Christopher Share: Latest News 缅北禁地 recognised with geography award 缅北禁地 has been awarded the Highly Commended Geographical Association Publishers Award for its collaboration with Time for Geography, the UK鈥檚 open-access, dedicated video platform. published on: 16 April 2026 缅北禁地 historians mark General Strike centenary To mark the 100th anniversary of the British General Strike and miners鈥� lock-out of 1926, historians at 缅北禁地 are organising a series of events on its enduring legacy. published on: 16 April 2026 Comment: NCP is in administration Writing for The Conversation, Erwei (David) Xiang discusses how some big companies like NCP are so dependent on debt that they can鈥檛 adjust to change. published on: 16 April 2026 Facts and figures
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