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The Centre for Research on Security Practices (CRSP) houses a community of engaged researchers dedicated to understanding the complex coexistence of security and insecurity. Our work focuses on the intersection of security practices and lived experiences, moving beyond abstract theory to enhance scholarly research, inform policy debates, and deepen public understanding of safety and equity.
We believe that evaluating the effectiveness of any social practice requires a deep understanding of people’s perceptions and experiences, particularly those in marginalized positions. To achieve this, CRSP researchers employ rigorous, sensitive methods tailored to the social locations and circumstances of our participants. We pilot and evaluate cutting-edge, innovative methodologies, such as neighborhood walks, social GIS, and brokered dialogue, to provide robust, multi-dimensional analyses of how safety is both enacted and experienced on the ground.
By generating collaboratively-derived, evidence-informed knowledge, CRSP provides policymakers, practitioners, and community leaders with the tools needed to address today’s most pressing challenges.
Our Vision
CRSP is positioned to be a global leader for empirically grounded research that explores the diverse practices and perceptions of safety at local, national, and international levels. We are committed to being a leader in student training, community engagement, and research that makes a tangible difference in our cities and beyond.
Our Mission
We provide critical empirical insights into how safety and security are practiced and experienced. By fostering an innovative and inclusive environment, CRSP:
- Encourages interdisciplinary collaboration across institutions and industries.
- Influences policy and social change by centering human security.
Our Values
Every project under the CRSP banner is united by a commitment to:
- High-Quality Research: Producing interdisciplinary work that meets the highest academic standards.
- Rigour: Maintaining strict methodological and ethical integrity in all we do.
- Student Excellence: Ensuring meaningful involvement and professional training for the next generation of researchers.
- Community Partnership: Engaging with and responding to the diverse needs of our community stakeholders.
Team Members
- Director: Dr. Tarah Hodgkinson
- Associate Director: Dr. James Popham
- Project Coordinator: Molly Phillips
Steering Committee
Dr. Tarah Hodgkinson is the Director of CRSP and an Associate Professor of Criminology at Wilfrid Laurier University. She received her PhD in Criminology from Simon Fraser University and her MA and BA in Sociology from Queen’s University. Tarah's current research interests focus broadly on community safety, with a specific focus on policing, crime prevention and spatial criminology. She is working on projects to improve strategic planning and implementation with police services across Canada and developing crime prevention strategies in rural and small municipalities. Her research is informed by a social constructionist/critical realist approach, though she works extensively in the area of environmental criminology. Tarah uses a myriad of methods in addressing her research questions, including action research, spatial and quantitative analysis and qualitative methods. Her research has been published in high impact, international journals such as: Police Practice and Research: An International Journal; British Journal of Criminology; and Journal of Rural Studies and has received national funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Dr. James F. Popham is the Associate Director of CRSP and an Associate Professor of Criminology at Wilfrid Laurier University. Dr. Popham has a PhD in Sociology, focusing on Criminology, from the University of Saskatchewan (2016). His research focusses on two distinct areas: community-based knowledge development and digital criminology. During his career, he has worked as a community scholar with notable organizations such as the Community-University Institute for Social Research and the Centre for Community Based Research to conduct program evaluation and strategic development for a number of agencies across Canada. This has included partnerships with Provincial and Regional Governments, First Nations and Tribal Authorities, and NGOs including local United Ways and Community Foundations. He has also recently acted as an expert advisor to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s Education for Justice (E4J) cybercrime module, presenting his work in Vienna (Austria) and Tbilisi (Georgia). Dr. Popham is an Affiliate Member to the Laurier Institute for the Study of Popular Opinion and Policy, Research Co-ordinator for the Brant Community Foundation, and a Program Developer with the Centre for Public Safety and Well-Being. He is the co-editor of a volume on social control, available through Fernwood press in 2020, and a forthcoming textbook that focuses on Cybercrime in Canada, under development with the Oxford University Press. Dr. Popham is also author or co-author on more than 30 publications.
Tarah Hodgkinson, Director
James Popham, Associate Director
Molly Phillips, Project Coordinator