Prof. Rachel Armitage is a Professor of Criminology within the School of Human and Health Sciences at the University of Huddersfield. She founded the highly successful multi-disciplinary institute - The Secure Societies Institute (SSI), which she directed between 2014 and 2018. Prof. Armitage’s research focuses upon the role of design (place, space, products and systems) in influencing both anti-social and pro-social behaviour. She has conducted research on the subject of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) for over 20 years - evaluating the effectiveness of the Secured by Design (SBD) award scheme, investigating the links between housing design and crime risk, exploring the tensions and synergies between security and sustainability and studying international approaches to preventing crime through design. Her work has been referenced in local, national and international planning policy and guidance, and she aims to ensure that consideration for crime prevention is on the agenda of all agencies involved in planning and developing the built environment. More recently, she has conducted several projects exploring the role of design in counterterrorism at critical infrastructure sites, in particular, multi-modal passenger terminals.

Rachel’s research on housing design has also focused upon the role of housing in the prevention of domestic abuse (specifically the Sanctuary scheme), and the impact of housing on mental and physical health.

As well as her focus upon crime prevention within the built environment, Rachel works closely with many agencies to explore the impact of secondary victimisation of online child sexual abuse – particularly IIOC (Indecent Images of Children). Rachel is the Deputy Chair of Trustees for the Marie Collins Foundation; a Trustee of Acts Fast and a founder and trustee of the charity Talking Forward - a peer support group for families affected by online child sexual abuse. She is a founding member of the national Indirect Victims of Indecent Images of Children Investigations (IVIIC) National Strategic Group - working closely with key agencies to explore policy and practice responses to non-offending partners (NOPs) and children of IIOC offenders.

Rachel has published extensively on the subject of designing out crime, including a sole authored book: Crime Prevention through Housing Design (2013) published by Palgrave Macmillan, and edited collections: Rebuilding Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (2019) published by Routledge, and Retail Crime – International Evidence and Prevention (2018) published by Palgrave Macmillan. She is on the Editorial Board of several journals including: Security Journal (Book Reviews Editor), the European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, Crime Prevention and Community Safety and Frontiers in Psychology, Forensic and Legal Psychology.

Rachel is an invited member of the Home Office Safer Streets Committee; the Home Office National Burglary Taskforce; the Home Office Vehicle Crime Taskforce; the Child Sexual Abuse Academic Network; the China Safe Cities Advisory Group, and the ActEarly City Collaboratory project (led by Bradford Institute for Health Research) to develop innovative approaches to the prevention of ill health.