Institute Fellow: The Politics and Security of Institutional Peacebuilding, Dr John Topping (Senior Lecturer, Criminology, School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work) was co-author of the latest in the series of the Northern Ireland Peace Monitoring Reports, which covers the period October 2018 to May 2023.  Contributors include academics from Ulster University, London School of Economics and Queen’s University Belfast.

Co-ordinated by the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council and funded by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, the Peace Monitoring Reports provide independent monitoring of Northern Ireland’s journey out of violence, and of the efforts to create a society in which all can live free from fear, and in relationships of trust and safety with their fellow citizens.

A four dimension indicator framework was established to allow the measurement of change towards the goals of equality, social cohesion, sharing, and the ability to deal with political difference through open dialogue and accommodation and includes:

• Political Progress - how (or if) the political institutions set up under the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement are working;  
• The Sense of Safety - covering safety in different contexts including the home;  
• Equality – including structural economic and social and progress on social policy;  
• Cohesion and Sharing – examining sharing and separation in education, housing and public space 

Since the publication of the first Report in February 2012, the data has been gathered in a consistent way, enabling the authors to measure the distance travelled over time either closer to, or further away from the shared goal of an inclusive and peaceful society.  As well as being independently funded, the Report is independently authored.  It collates data that is produced independently of the report. The whole process is also overseen by an independent advisory panel which draws on a range of academic disciplines.

In Report Number Six, Dr John Topping and Dr Richard Martin (London School of Economics) authored the chapter on Dimension Two: The Sense of Safety, exploring a range of policing, security, terrorism, crime and legacy areas.

The Northern Ireland Community Relations Council aims to support a pluralist society characterised by equity, respect for diversity and recognition of interdependence.

Further information, including all the reports, can be found here.