Professor Hugh McFaul, head of The Open University Law School, discusses supporting both the police and the Black community, open access to justice and two current BBC programmes.
I was honoured to speak at Thames Valley Police’s Black History Month CPD (continuing professional development) Day which was hosted at our Milton Keynes campus.
Black History Month is the annual celebration of the history, achievements and contributions of Black communities every October and I was pleased to open this learning event with a few words, alongside Assistant Chief Constable Dennis Murray, on Friday 24 October.
The OU is an institution open to ‘people, places, methods and ideas’, and our well-respected Department for Policing is now based in the Law School (after a decade in the Business School), so this second annual event really resonated with me.
With a theme of ‘Standing Firm in Power and Pride’ this year, attendees first heard from community activist Lisa Lovell, the daughter of Windrush parents, as chair of the Milton Keynes Stop and Search Community Scrutiny Group.
Sonia Bassey MBE, our own PhD student who is another community activist this time in Liverpool, talked about ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’ in her civil rights campaigning. Her upbringing in Toxteth before, during and following the 1981 riots has led to her trying to ‘change the narrative’ for more than four decades.
Detective Superintendent Lewis Prescott-Mayling, himself the son of migrant workers, also discussed the importance of supporting the Black community through ‘allyship’ and the ‘Pay it Forward’ mantra after encouraging words from a senior colleague earlier in his career.
There was a standing ovation for a powerful and passionate presentation by former world boxing champion Dr Mark Prince OBE on the value of ‘mindset’, having established the Kiyan Prince Foundation after losing his 15-year-old son to knife crime in 2006.
*The annual week-long celebration of open access to justice, known as Pro Bono Week, starts on Monday 3 November. With this year’s theme of ‘Pro bono in Action’, our Open Justice Centre is marking the work of students and staff so look out for the release of our second legal podcast episode featuring an interview with Law alumna and SENLaw founder Sonia Seran. There are new blogs from our academics about our recent work with the business law clinic and the Josh Hanson Trust, as well as championing our award-winning students and free AI training courses via social media.
*Speaking of AI, the OU’s PolicyWISE unit in collaboration with our Law School academics have produced a helpful guide which compares AI policy across the UK and Ireland and makes recommendations for change to ensure that we are addressing both the opportunities and challenges of AI.
*It’s been a busy time for some of my Law colleagues who have been consultants on two very interesting OU / BBC co-productions.
Now on iPlayer, ‘Blackmailed: The Sextortion Killers’ follows reporter Tir Dhondy as she takes a closer look at the darker side of social media. Olga Jurasz, Professor of Law and Director of the Centre for Protecting Women Online, was one of two experts advising the production team.
Meanwhile, ever wondered what space and the law have in common? It’s probably more than you think! Find out in ‘Once Upon a Time in Space’, a new four-part OU / BBC series about the space race and the jostling for power. Dr Marjan Ajevski was one of the advisors for the show which continues on Mondaysat 9pm on BBC Two and is also on iPlayer.
