Dr Craig McCann
About
Dr Craig McCann is an independent specialist adviser and researcher. As the Director of S.P.E.C.T.R.U.M. (Strategic Preventative Expertise to Counter Terrorism Risks using Upstream Measures) Universal Ltd. he provides consultative services for domestic clients and international development programmes with an emphasis on preventative counter terrorism strategy and delivery. He also writes, advises, lectures and provides commentary on the U.K. Prevent strategy, de-radicalisation / disengagement programming, online approaches to counter terrorism and responses to right wing extremism.
Dr McCann was formerly a Detective Chief Inspector in the Metropolitan Police Service in London. Over his 14 years service he worked in a variety of portfolios ranging from neighbourhood policing to criminal investigations. He moved into counter terrorism policing in 2010 and has since worked both operationally and strategically in the police service delivery of the Prevent Strategy, leading a range of departments including the ground-breaking Channel intervention programme for East-London, the Muslim Contact Unit and the Extremist Disruption Team within the Counter Terrorism Command.
In 2013 Dr McCann became the Deputy to the National Strategic Lead for Channel at the Association of Chief Police Officers (Terrorism & Allied Matters) where he led on efforts to promote national consistency in the delivery of the Channel intervention programme. He then took on the role of Head of Strategy & Policy for the national Prevent policing portfolio at the National Counter Terrorism Police Headquarters where he led on setting the strategy for Prevent Case Management and worked closely with the U.K. Government’s Home Office in determining the police Prevent statutory duty within the Counter Terrorism & Security Act 2015. Prior to leaving the police service he led on the national business change programme reviewing the deployment of counter terrorism policing resources across England and Wales.
Dr McCann holds a Law Degree and an MA in Criminology from the University of Kent at Canterbury. At the same university he completed his PhD which explored how the U.K. Prevent Strategy has been applied to right wing extremism since 2011. He subsequently converted this thesis into a book titled “The Prevent Strategy and Right-Wing Extremism: A Case Study of the English Defence League” which has been published as part of the Routledge Extremism and Democracy range. He is a Policy & Practitioner Fellow with the Centre for Analysis for the Radical Right.
Check out his website: https://www.spectrumuniversal.co.uk/