Ms Sarah Williams

Qualifications:

PGCertLTHE, MA (Hons) Cognitive Evolution, BA (Hons) Archaeology.

Position:

Associate Director Policing

Department:

College of Health, Science and Society

Telephone:

+441173282500

Email:

Sarah32.Williams@uwe.ac.uk

Social media:

About me

I have had a varied professional life, working as a professional archaeologist, a graphic designer and a publishing project manager before joining the police, where I held various roles, including frontline response, public order, and improvement and assurance. My policing experiences sparked a genuine passion for identifying new ways of tackling vulnerability and achieving better outcomes for the vulnerable, particularly victims of domestic abuse. This led to me leave policing to become more involved in research. I currently work at the University of the West of England (UWE), where I am currently Associate Director of Policing and pursuing research interests related to domestic abuse and police pedagogy, including in overseas police forces.

Area of expertise

My particular area of interest is domestic abuse, stalking and harassment, although I take an interest in wider issues relating to vulnerability (e.g. sexual offences, young people, and hate crime) and trauma-informed approaches. I am particuarly interested in the pedagogy of teaching these topics to police officers and other professionals who engage with this vulnerable group. I am currently researching the impact of knowledge exhange with Britain's overseas police forces, including the Sovereign Base Areas of Cyprus and St Helena, with a focus on domestic abuse and trauma-informed practice along with Dr Anne Eason at UWE.

I volunteer as strategic support on domestic abuse with Avon & Somerset Police and am incredibly proud to have been nominated and won the Support Volunteer of the Year Award in 2026 for my contribution to the domestic abuse strategy and workstreams.

I also work on Outreach, encouraging young people to become the police officers of tomorrow. If you work in a School or FE College and would be interested in attending one of our Policing 'Taster' Sessions, please get in touch.

Publications

Publications loading...