Director of Threat Leadership with The National Crime Agency, Alex Murray OBE’s efforts in instituting evidence-based practices in the UK have been exemplary. He is the founder and chair of the UK’s Society of Evidence Based Policing and has led several randomised control trials on out of court disposals, anti-social behaviour, burglary, behavioural science and continues to lead on pushing evidence-based practice and technology adoption.
He has been recognised internationally for his work with SEBP and was inducted into the Evidence Based Policing Hall of Fame in 2014 as well as receiving a National Superintendent’s Award for Policing Excellence.
Alex continues to work in collaboration with academic institutions to improve practices within policing. He has been a strong supporter of the collaboration between West Mercia Police and University of Staffordshire, developing new recruits to policing through the Regional PEQF partnership. In particular, he has championed student officer research and in support provided the keynote address at the University’s inaugural GradEx event that showcased the Region’s Police Constable Degree Holders (PCDA) Research projects.
Due to his outstanding contribution to research, he has briefed the Home Secretary of the UK, the National Police Chiefs Council, the Scottish Institute of Police Research, leadership courses at the Police College, the Indian National Police Academy in Hyderbad and numerous scholars, practitioners and policy makers at the annual Cambridge International Conferences on Evidence-Based Policing, amongst others.
In 2019 he was awarded the OBE for his outstanding services to policing. He remains completely dedicated to developing and improving policing for the benefit of the public he serves.
In 2022 Alex joined West Mercia Police as Deputy Chief Constable before taking up the post of Temporary Chief. In March 2024 he was appointed the National Police Chief Constables Council (NPCC) lead for Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Alex Murray graduated from Birmingham University in 1996 and joined West Midlands Police where he worked in investigative and uniform roles in Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton. As a senior investigating officer, he worked on the murder unit before becoming Commander of Birmingham East Local Policing Unit. Following his move to the National Criminal Intelligence Service, he led the policing Counter Terrorism response across the West Midlands region for seven years.
He graduated from Cambridge University in 2008 with a Masters degree in Criminology, writing a thesis focused on examining the relationship between policing legitimacy and Muslim populations. In 2012 he founded the Society of Evidence Based Policing (SEBP) in the United Kingdom which seeks to use, produce, and communicate the best possible evidence to professionalise policing. SEBP is a substantial organisation with chapters in the USA, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands as well as emerging organisations in Sweden and Denmark.
Having previously served as temporary ACC for Crime in West Midlands Police, he joined the Metropolitan Police taking up a role as Commander for Specialist Crime where he led the approach to violence reduction across London with particular focus on the record levels of homicide amongst teenagers. He led on policing initiatives including focused deterrence, hotspot policing and problem-oriented policing. He has delivered training in evidence-based practice around the world including India and Cambodia as well as having articles published in multiple journals.
The award of Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University honoris causa (Hon DUniv) is bestowed upon Alex Murray in recognition of his outstanding contribution to both the regional and national policing landscape.
The award also acknowledges him as a champion of the police professionalisation programme and the requirement for securing relevant academic qualification throughout.