Director of Sustainable Criminal Justice Solutions awarded honorary degree

Alumnus and Director of Sustainable Criminal Justice Solutions (SCJS), Nicholas Apps was awarded an honorary degree of Master of Science from Southampton Solent University on Thursday 13 July.

After expressing his delight at being awarded his honorary degree, he went on to say to the ceremony attendees: "This University prides itself on creating opportunities and focusing on the practical aspects of learning and it has been very rewarding to have played a part in supporting this. I've had the privilege of collaborating with this university and many of its students over the last 15 years.

"Working together we have created a work placement programme where students can gain valuable experience of operating in the criminal justice sector in support of their studies. We've also delivered numerous guest lectures and my organisation, SCJS, has been fortunate enough to employ a number of high calibre graduates from this University.

"Our collaborate efforts have been very much symbiotic and I am delighted that two of my immediate colleagues have recently been accepted onto the Chartered Management Degree Apprenticeship being run by the University. Indeed it's courses like these that provide the necessary skills and support to our aspiring senior leaders of the future."

Nicholas is a director of Sustainable Criminal Justice Solutions (SCJS), a not-for-profit organisation whose mission statement is ‘Strengthening the Rule of Law’. His responsibilities include financial management and programme oversight for all SCJS capacity-building projects.

Nicholas graduated with a criminology degree from Solent University 15 years ago and is also a Chartered Fellow of the UK’s Chartered Management Institute.

Since graduating, Nicholas, or one of his colleagues at the SCJS, has returned each year to give lectures at the University, as well as offering work experience and internship and employment opportunities to Solent students.

Throughout his career he has worked around the world on projects concerning law enforcement, forensics, criminality information exchange and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) initiatives.

Nicholas successfully secured European Commission funding to support the Home Office with the introduction of Prüm, a European initiative to exchange DNA and fingerprints between EU Member States. He subsequently managed the project which identified a variety of options for the government to implement fingerprint and DNA exchange with other EU Member States.

Prior to joining SCJS, Nicholas was a co-founder and senior manager of the ACPO Criminal Records Office (ACRO), a UK police unit established to review and improve the arrangements for storing and disclosing criminal record information.