Joe McGallagly BA (Hons), MSc, PhD.

Joe gained his PhD at the University of Glasgow where his research involved an exploration of the law enforcement understanding of serious organised crime in Scotland.  His previous degrees majored in Psychology.

While previously working in law enforcement Joe undertook a number of research projects involving a varied range of topics such as Domestic Violence, the widely publicised Hamilton Child Safety Initiative, the Spotlight Initiative, the Criminal Histories of Suspected Drug Offenders, the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Programme and issues relating to violent crime. However, Joe’s main research interest lies in the area of Serious Organised Crime and in that regard Joe has forged direct links with numerous law enforcement agencies. Allied to this is a research interest in the hierarchical or network structure of organised crime groups, the understanding of organised crime as a definitive concept, ‘Mafia’ type groupsd and issues surrounding corruption.

However, the importation and distribution of illicit drugs by organised crime represents one of the UKs foremost threats with drugs such as heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine and ecstasy, widely available throughout the country. The UK street level prices for illicit drugs are amongst the highest in Europe. It is against this backdrop that Joe also endeavours to better understand the drug dealing opportunities afforded by Organised Crime as well as the effectiveness of the law enforcement response.

Most recently Joe has competed two European Commission funded research projects in different research areas – Commercial Crime and Drug Interdiction. The latter research examined the immediate impact of law enforcement interdiction on local communities and involved a street level examination of the outcome of drug interdiction at three sites in the UK.

Joe is currently involved in developing research on the use of illicit drugs within custodial settings and understanding how prison drug markets operate.

In addition to developing work within SMCR, Joe is also affiliated to the University of Glasgow, School of Social and Political Sciences.