Craig Bennell
Professor
- Ph.D.
- Email Craig Bennell
Biography
Craig Bennell is the Director of the Police Research Lab. Craig received his B.Sc. in Psychology from the (Canada) and his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Psychology from the (UK), where he studied under the supervision of . Craig is currently a Professor in the at with a cross-appointment to the School of Linguistics and Language Studies. In addition, he is a member of the . He is a previous President of the and a previous Editor of the . He is also a founding member of the based out of Birmingham, UK, and a partner in the .
Research Interests
Together with a great group of graduate and honours students, Craig studies three primary issues: (1) police use of force, (2) the reliability, validity, and usefulness of psychologically-based investigative techniques, and (3) evidence-based policing. The construction of the PRL was made possible through funds from the , the , and . Craig’s research has been funded by the , the Canadian Police Research Centre, , and .
Selected Publications
Khanizadeh, A., McGale, H., & Bennell, C. (2026).ÌýImproving understanding of police use of force.ÌýCanadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 58, 45-56.Ìý
MacIsaac, A., Baldwin, S., Semple, T., & Bennell, C. (2025). Exploring the relationship between officer safety and de-escalation in a simulated crisis encounter.ÌýPolice Quarterly, 28, 371-399.
Semple, T., Jenkins, B., Siamro, J., Brook, G., Didayula, S., Bordeleau, E., Bussey, O., MacIsaac, A., & Bennell, C. (2025). Injuries and death proximate to conducted energy weapon use: A systematic review.ÌýJournal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 40, 816-831.
Jenkins, B., Semple, T., Suss, J.Ìý& Bennell, C. (2024)ÌýPrimed to use force? A systematic review examining the relationship between tactical experience and use of force.ÌýJournal of Police and Criminal Psychology,Ìý39, 509–526. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-024-09647-0
Sheppard, J., Ariane-Jade Khanizadeh, Baldwin, S., & Bennell, C. (2024). A comparison of police use of force by male and female officers in Canada: Rates, Modalities, Effectiveness, and Injuries.ÌýCriminal Justice and Behavior,Ìý51(5).
Longridge, R., Chapman, B., Bennell, C., Clarke, D. D., & Keatley, D. (2020). Behaviour sequence analysis of police body-worn camera footage.ÌýJournal of Police and Criminal Psychology,Ìý38(2), 255–262.