Projects per year
Personal profile
Research
Associate Director (Police Community Relations Network), Scottish Institute for Policing Research
Research interests
Megan O’Neill is a Professor of Criminology in the School of Humanities, Social Science and Law at the University of Dundee. Her work focuses on aspects of police culture, stop and search, community policing, public sector pluralisation in policing, technology in policing and surveillance practices of the state.
She has published in several journals, including The European Journal of Criminology, The British Journal of Criminology, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Policing and Society and Policing: A journal of policy and practice. She has published two monographs: Policing Football (2005) and Police Community Support Officers (2019).
Prof O’Neill has received funding from the Economic and Social Research Council, Horizon 2020 (Unity), Nordforsk (as PI) and most recently was the coordinator for a successful application to Horizon Europe (Clarus, now serving as Scientific Lead).
Prof O’Neill’s work is largely qualitative, with a particular focus on ethnography, and blends theoretically informed research with applications for developing policing practice.
Education/Academic qualification
Doctor of Philosophy, Social Interaction in the Policing of Scottish Football, University of Aberdeen
Award Date: 1 Jan 2003
Bachelor of Arts, Albion College
Award Date: 1 Jan 1997
External positions
Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts
2019 → 2024
Associate Director
1 Nov 2018 → …
Keywords
- H Social Sciences (General)
- policing
- Police culture
- plural policing
- police
- surveillance
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities -
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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Clarus: Building clarity and preventing bias in digital forensic examination, interorganisational communication and interaction
Coxon, A. (Investigator), Lawrence, J. (Investigator), Nic Daeid, N. (Investigator) & O'Neill, M. (Investigator)
1/11/23 → 31/10/26
Project: Research
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Project CLARUS: Bias,Lexicon And Culture In Police And Forensic Services
O'Neill, M. (Investigator)
Project: Research
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Public Confidence & Police Visibility: A Systematic Review
O'Neill, M. (Investigator)
Project: Research
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Information sharing in community policing in Europe: Building public confidence
Aston, E. V. (Lead / Corresponding author), O’Neill, M., Hail, Y. & Wooff, A., Jul 2023, In: European Journal of Criminology. 20, 4, p. 1349-1368 20 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile14 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)391 Downloads (Pure) -
Achieving cultural change through organizational justice: the case of Stop and Search in Scotland
Aston , E., Murray, K. & O'Neill, M. (Lead / Corresponding author), 1 Feb 2021, In: Criminology and Criminal Justice. 21, 1, p. 40-56 17 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile19 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)814 Downloads (Pure) -
Police Community Support Officers: Cultures and Identities within Pluralised Policing
O'Neill, M. (Lead / Corresponding author), 25 Apr 2019, Oxford: Oxford University Press. 192 p. (Clarendon Studies in Criminology)Research output: Book/Report › Book
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‘Free text is essentially the enemy of what we’re trying to achieve’: the framing of a national vision for delivering digital police contact
Wells, H. (Lead / Corresponding author), Andrews, W., Clayton, E., Bradford, B., Aston , E. V. & O'Neill, M., 2024, In: European Journal of Policing Studies. 7, 1-2, p. 14-35 22 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
The enforcement turn in plural policing? A comparative analysis of public police auxiliaries in England & Wales, France and The Netherlands
O'Neill, M. (Lead / Corresponding author), de Maillard, J. & van Steden, R., Sept 2023, In: European Journal of Criminology. 20, 5, p. 1681-1700 20 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile6 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)458 Downloads (Pure)
Activities
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Digital Justice Center, University of Wroclaw
O'Neill, M. (Visiting researcher)
9 Dec 2025 → 10 Dec 2025Activity: Visiting an external institution types › Visiting an external academic institution
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Lost in (digital) translation.
O'Neill, M. (Speaker), Long, A. (Speaker), Mackintosh, A. (Speaker) & Balfour, J. (Contributor)
10 Sept 2025Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
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Operation Raptor Rescue - Maths Week 2025
Doran, H. (Organiser), Skene, K. (Organiser), Martin, D. (Contributor), Marland, V. (Presenter), Gray, A. (Presenter), Robertson, S. (Presenter), Gulbrandsen, H. L. (Contributor), Gauld, D. (Presenter), Mackintosh, A. (Contributor), O'Neill, M. (Presenter), Harper, T. (Organiser), Long, A. (Presenter), Morriss, C. (Organiser), Puch-Solis, R. (Contributor), Tavendale, A. (Presenter), Amos, C. (Presenter), Saif, A. (Presenter), Rinaldi, V. (Contributor), Mcalinden, J. (Contributor), Brough, K. (Presenter), Tetley-Brown, L. (Presenter) & Meyer, K. (Presenter)
24 Oct 2025Activity: Other activity types › Schools engagement
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Swedish Research Council (External organisation)
O'Neill, M. (Chair)
Oct 2025 → Feb 2026Activity: Membership types › Membership of panel
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Turning the Titanic: Criminal Justice Cultures, Communication and the Digital Age
O'Neill, M. (Speaker)
9 Dec 2025Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
Press/Media
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CFRA Live – Are We Seeing A Pushback Against Progressive Policing Policies?
5/03/22
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Research