Profile
A former officer with South Wales Police, Hannah joined the University in 2017 and led the successful tendering process for the award and implementation of the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship under the UK Police Service’s new education qualifications framework. Securing seven Police Force partners for the collaborative provision of these landmark qualifications across England and Wales, Hannah established a new department to deliver the programmes across the range of police force locations from Pembroke to Penzance, before becoming the Head of School for Professional Practice in 2022. Since joining the Dean’s office as Associate Dean, Hannah now manages the University’s strategic Criminal Justice partnerships, working closely with former Chief Constable, Professor Peter Vaughan QPM, to strategically lead the portfolio. Hannah also leads the USW and Hydra Foundation’s Research and Innovation Centre with former T/Chief Constable, Claire Parmenter and Hydra Founder Professor Jonathan Crego MBE.
Hannah Coombs, Crime, Security and Justice, University of South WalesThrough working closely with numerous criminal justice partners across the UK, particularly through our policing partnerships across Wales and Southwest England, I felt the University of South Wales was credibly placed to host a conference that considered the highly publicised challenges faced within public services in terms of culture and conduct. As such, I created the Culture in Public Service Conference which we held at the ICC Wales in 2024. Attended by over 100 people from across our public services, the conference explored the links between culture and innovative practice with consideration given to how public services can improve organisational culture and policy reform. Sidenote - I was very impressed with the facilities available to conference organisers at the ICC which brought the appropriate gravitas for the day. Wales is a hub of activity in our sector, and I’d encourage anyone seeking a new location for their conference to consider Wales, with its multitude of academic venues and purpose-built conference facilities for large-scale events."
