Recommended reading

When you’re preparing to start uni you will read books, watch various documentaries and listen to podcasts, immersing yourself in everything to do with your degree. So I decided it would be a good idea to share sources of motivation for a Crime and Investigative Studies student.

Let me start off by giving you a list of a few books that I find really helpful and interesting. My favourite one so far is Memory-Enhancing Techniques for Investigative Interviewing: The Cognitive Interview by Ronald Fisher and Edward Geiselman. This is a magnificent book about the interview process and different strategies that can be applied to retrieve information from an individual. The cognitive interview relies on memory recollection principles and aims to achieve maximum accuracy. It’s one of the most efficient methods of interviewing not only in the UK, but in many other countries. This book will be helpful for you because you will be studying investigative interviewing during your Investigative Skills module. My favourite module, by the way!

The second book which you’ll find helpful as a Crime and Investigative Studies student is The Psychology Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained by Catherine Collin. In my opinion, as people who are studying crime, you will need to have some sort of understanding of human behavior – and human nature in general. I’ve always been interested in psychology and this book is written in a simple manner. It will let you explore different theories easily and help you gain an understanding of human nature.

The third and final book I would suggest is Blackstone's Handbook for Policing Students 2020 by Robin Bryant and Sarah Bryant. This is an essential book for those who are joining law enforcement and it explores policing in the UK. It enables the reader to dive into the procedures of UK police and develop an excellent understanding of what police work is, as well as the challenges it faces in our modern-day society. The book’s aim is to prepare individuals for law enforcement.

I’m also a big fan of documentaries and YouTube channels which explore crime. My favourite TV channels are Investigation Discovery and Crime and Investigation Network. These are channels which have various documentaries about real cases. They explain the investigation process and the strategies applied to solve crimes. They are mostly serious investigations into murders and kidnappings. Some of the TV shows star detectives who talk about their experience on the job, so if you’re interested in that, you should definitely check them out.

The two YouTube channels I frequently visit are Derek Van Schaik and JCS – Criminal Psychology. They are about criminal psychology and body language. I’m fond of both disciplines and therefore I am really interested to see what experts have to say about different cases and how they expertise may influence the investigation process.

It’s an exciting time exploring your potential uni degree but don’t forget that you can always reach Student Ambassadors like me on Unibuddy and attend Virtual Open Days. We’re always happy to help and we’ll be happy to see you soon!