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Gavin Oxburgh

T:: 01642 342342
Job title:: Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology
E:: g.oxburgh@tees.ac.uk
School/department:: School of Social Sciences & Law

Research institute:: Social Futures Institute

About Gavin Oxburgh

Gavin Oxburgh
Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology, School of Social Sciences & Law
T: 01642 342342
E: g.oxburgh@tees.ac.uk
Research institute: Social Futures Institute

Dr. Gavin Oxburgh is a Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology in the School of Social Sciences & Law. He is the Chair and Founder of the International Investigative Interviewing Research Group (www.iiirg.org), a network of interviewing professionals developed to maintain research-based practice and practice-based research amongst academic researchers and law enforcement practitioners worldwide.

Before becoming an academic, Gavin was the Child Protection Training Lead for NHS Lothian, Edinburgh, Scotland, and prior to this, he served with the Royal Air Force Police for 22 years, 13 years as a detective, specialising in sexual offences, specifically the interviewing of child victims and suspected offenders. Gavin is an Honourary Lecturer with the Norwegian Police University College (NPUC), Oslo , and continues to provide training to members of the South African Police Service on the investigative interviewing of victims and witnesses of child sexual abuse and suspected sex offenders. In 2008, he was a specialist advisor to the Credibility Assessment Research Summit (CARS) on Educing Information from suspects, a US Government research group sponsored by the Defense Academy for Credibility Assessment (DACA).

Postgraduate qualifications:
PhD in Forensic Psychology: Developing a more effective framework for the investigative interviewing of suspected sex offenders, University of Portsmouth, UK.
MSc in Forensic Psychology: Police officers use of emotional language during child sexual abuse investigations, University of Portsmouth, UK.
Post-graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (PgCLTHE), Teesside University, UK.

Currently, Gavin teaches on the following programmes of study:

• Programme Leader for the MSc in Legal and Forensic Psychology (blended, distance learning;);
• Deputy Programme Leader MSc in Forensic Psychology (BPS accredited);
• Module leader – The Psychology of Investigations, MSc. Forensic Psychology;
• Module leader – Law, Justice & Psychology, MSc. Forensic Psychology;
• Module leader – The Psychology of Police Investigations, BSc (Hons) Top-up degree in Policing and Investigative Studies (year 3);

Gavin also supervises numerous MSc Forensic Psychology project students and undergraduate dissertation projects. He has previously been a module tutor on the MSc Applied Research Methods (qualitative analyses).

Research interests

Gavin is an active researcher within the Social Futures Institute at Teesside University, and his research interests include communication in legal contexts, child sexual abuse, social cognition, investigative interviewing, forensic linguistics and interview decision making. In 2012, one of his co-authored papers was selected as one of the most impressive pieces of work the journal’s Editorial team had seen throughout 2011 and was a Highly Commended Award Winner at the Literati Network Awards for Excellence 2012. He is an article reviewer for many International journals and proposal reviewer for the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

Gavin not only works in close collaboration with various police forces around the world, but has also presented his specialist research at various national and International conferences, and is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling (JIPOP). He regularly reviews and publishes papers in nationally and Internationally renowned journals and has also co-authored a chapter in Children’s Testimony: A Handbook of Psychological Research and Forensic Practice, a book devoted to child witness testimony.

PhD supervision:
Ongoing: William Webster - The impact of investigative interviews on rape victims.

Gavin would welcome applications from potential PhD candidates in the following broad areas:

• Investigative interviewing of victims, witnesses and suspects
• Interviews with high-interest groups
• Historical cases of child sexual abuse
• Interview decision-making
• Communication in legal contexts

Membership of professional bodies:
• Registered Practitioner Forensic Psychologist with the UK Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC);
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA);
• Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society (CPsychol);
• Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society (AFBPsS;
• Chartered Scientist with the UK Science Council (CSci);
• Member of the Scientific and Professional Advisory Board of the British False Memory Society (BFMS);
• Member of the American Psychology–Law Society (AP-LS);
• Member of the European Association of Psychology and Law (EAPL).

Publications

Conference proceedings:
Invited presentations

Keynote presentations:

Oxburgh, G. E. (2012). Collaborative, International, research in investigative interviewing. Keynote presentation given at the Quebec du Nationale de Police 5th Annual Conference, Quebec, Canada, 12th of September 2012.

Oxburgh, G. E. (2012). Investigative interviewing of high-stake offenders: Current practice and the efficacy of training. Keynote presentation given at the Youth Research Unit Annual Conference, University of South Africa, Pretoria, 26th of June 2012.

Oxburgh, G. E., & Sparrow, T. (2011). Best practice interview techniques. Keynote presentation given to over 400 International business leaders who were delegates at the Business Systems (UK) Annual Conference, 23rd November, London, UK.

Oxburgh, G. E. (2010). Interviewing high-stake offenders. Keynote presentation given to delegates from the European Police College (CEPOL), 20th October, Oslo, Norway.

General presentations:

Oxburgh, G. E., Myklebust, T., Grant, T.D., & Milne, R. (2012). Communication in legal contexts. Presentation given at the 5thAnnual Conference of the International Investigative Interviewing Research Group (iIIRG), 23rd – 26th May 2012, Toronto, Canada.

Oxburgh, G. E. (2010). Police training in the UK: An introduction. Presentation given to the Norwegian Police University College as part of their International Studies module, 26th April, Oslo, Norway.

Anand, D., & Oxburgh, G. E. (2008). Understanding sex offenders. Presentation/ workshop given to delegates from the European Police College (CEPOL), 7th May Oslo, Norway.

Oxburgh, G. E., & Myklebust, T. (2008). Effective communication with child sex offenders. Presentation/workshop given to delegates from the European Police College (CEPOL), 30th January, Stockholm, Sweden.

Oxburgh, G. E. (2005b). Child sexual abuse: The use of emotional utterances by forensic interviewers. Investigative Interviewing of Child Witnesses Conference: Taking Stock and Moving Forward, 5th – 7th September, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.

Peer-reviewed conference proceedings

Oxburgh, G. E., Ost, J., & Cherryman, J., Morris, P. (2012). Police officers’ perceptions of interview techniques with suspects of sexual offences and murder. Presentation given at the 5thAnnual Conference of the International Investigative Interviewing Research Group (iIIRG), 23rd – 26th May 2012, Toronto, Canada.

Oxburgh, G. E., Ost, J., & Cherryman, J., Morris, P. (2012). The impact of empathy and question type on information obtained in police interviews with suspects of filicide, child rape and adult murder. Presentation given at the 5thAnnual Conference of the International Investigative Interviewing Research Group (iIIRG), 23rd – 26th May 2012, Toronto, Canada.

Oxburgh, G. E., Myklebust, T., & Grant, T. (2011). The question of question types in police interviews: A review of the literature from a psychological and linguistic perspective. Presentation given at the 4thAnnual Conference of the International Investigative Interviewing Research Group (iIIRG), 1st – 3rd June, Dundee, Scotland, UK.

Oxburgh, G. E., Ost, J., & Cherryman, J. (2010). Police interviews with suspected child sex offenders: Does use of empathy and question type influence the amount of investigation relevant information obtained? Presentation given at the 20th Annual Conference of the European Association of Psychology and Law, 15th – 18th June, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Oxburgh, G. E., Ost, J., & Cherryman, J. (2010). Police interviews with suspected child sex offenders: Does use of empathy and question type influence the amount of investigation relevant information obtained? Presentation given at the 3rd Annual Conference of the International Investigative Interviewing Research Group, 22nd – 24th June, Stavern, Norway.

Oxburgh, G. E. (2010). The question of question types in police interviews. Presentation given at the 9th Annual Conference of the International Academy of Investigative Psychology, 14th January, London, UK.

Oxburgh, G. E., Ost, J., & Cherryman, J. (2009). Interviewing suspected child sex offenders: Factors that influence the obtaining of investigation relevant information. Presentation given at the 19th Annual Conference of the European Association of Psychology and Law, 2nd – 5th September, Sorrento, Italy.

Oxburgh, G. E., Gozna, L., Teicher, S., & Boon, J. (2009). Interviewing suspected offenders in the UK: Fiction, facts & future directions. Symposium presentation given at the 2nd Annual Conference of the International Investigative Interviewing Research Group, 14th – 16th April, Middlesbrough, UK.

Oxburgh, G. E., Ost, J. Cherryman, J., & Wilson, C. (2008). Communicating with sex offenders: A content analyses of investigative interviews. Presentation given at the 18th Annual Conference of the European Association of Psychology and Law, 2nd – 5th July, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Oxburgh, G. E., Ost, J., Cherryman, J., & Wilson, J. C. (2007a). A content analyses of investigative interviews with suspected sex offenders. Presentation given at the Division of Forensic Psychology Annual Conference 2007, 23rd – 25th July, York, UK.

Bell, A., Keys, M., Good, L., Oxburgh, G. E., & Mitchell, R. (2006). Turbulent times: The impact of child abuse inquiries on child protection policy, practice and education in Scotland. Symposium presentation given at the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse & Neglect 2006 Annual Conference, 3rd – 6th September, York, UK.

Oxburgh, G. E. (2006). Child sexual abuse: The use of emotional utterances by forensic interviewers. Presentation given at the Language, Psychology and Law Conference 2006, 10th – 12th July, Leicester, UK.

Oxburgh, G. E., Ost, J., Cherryman, J., & Wilson, J. C. (2006). Investigative interviewing: Can negative emotion affect the quality? Presentation given at the 2nd International Investigative Interviewing Conference 2006, 5th – 7th July, Portsmouth, UK.

Oxburgh, G. E., Williamson, T., & Ost, J. (2005). Police officers’ use of emotional language during child sexual abuse investigations. Presentation given at the 15th Annual Conference of the European Association of Psychology and Law, 2nd – 4th June, Vilnius, Lithuania.

Oxburgh, G. E., Ost, J., & Cherryman, J. (2010). Police interviews with suspected child sex offenders: Does use of empathy and question type influence the amount of investigation relevant information obtained? Presentation given to the Graduate Research School, Research Seminar Series, 24th of September. Award won for best presentation.

Oxburgh, G. E., Ost, J., & Cherryman, J. (2009). Interviewing suspected child sex offenders: Factors that influence the obtaining of investigation relevant information. Presentation given at the research seminar series, Department of Psychology, 18thNovember, Portsmouth, UK.

Oxburgh, G. E., Ost, J., Cherryman, J. (2008). Interviewing Suspected Child Sex Offenders: What Factors Influence the Obtaining of Investigation Relevant Information? Presentation given at the Research Seminar Series, Centre for Forensic Linguistics, 10th December, Birmingham, UK.

Oxburgh, G. E., Ost, J., Cherryman, J., & Wilson, J. C. (2008). Communicating with high-stake offenders in police interviews. Presentation given at the Research Seminar Series, Department of Psychology, 22nd October, Middlesbrough, UK.

Oxburgh, G. E., Ost, J., Cherryman, J., & Wilson, J. C. (2007). A content analysis of investigative interviews with suspected sex offenders. Presentation given at the research seminar series, Department of Psychology, 21st November, Portsmouth, UK.

Oxburgh, G. E. (2007). Investigative interviewing of suspected sex offenders: Current perspectives, future direction. Presentation given at the European Forensic Psychology Investigative Interviewing Research Seminar, 2nd April, Middlesbrough, UK.

Oxburgh, G. E. (2005a). Police officers’ use of emotional language during child sexual abuse investigations. Presentation given at the research seminar, Department of Psychology, 21st April, Portsmouth, UK.

View Gavin Oxburgh's Publications on TeesRep

In the news

Students talking about psychology
Hartlepool Mail, 05/03/2013, p.19
Students also heard from forensic psychologist Dr Gavin Oxburgh, from Teesside University, about the use of interrogation techniques when interviewing suspects.
Teesside University interview
BBC Radio4, Interrogators Without Pliers, 15/10/2012, 20:08:08
The techniques used by police to interview child abusers are commented upon by Gavon Oxburgh from Teesside University.
Show empathy when interviewing suspects urges Teesside University expert
Sunday Sun (Newcastle), 14/10/2012, p.31; Northern Echo (Web), 13/10/2012; Darlington & Stockton Times (Web), 13/10/2012; Northern Echo (North Edition), 13/10/2012, p.5; Uni-mag.co.uk (Web) 15/10/12; Darlington & Stockton Times (Web), 16/10/2012
Dr Gavin Oxburgh, a lecturer in forensic psychology at Teesside University, has looked to Nazi Germany's "master interrogator" Hanns Scharff for inspiration in dealing with offenders. Scharff was an interrogator during the Second World War who managed to obtain information from prisoners without using physical force.