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Martin Innes

Professor Martin Innes

Comment
Media commentator

Teams and roles for Martin Innes

  • Co-Director (Lead) of the Security, Crime and Intelligence Innovation Institute

    Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Overview

Professor Martin Innes leads the work of the Security, Crime and Intelligence Innovation Institute (https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/security-crime-intelligence-innovation-institute) and is a member of the School of Social Sciences.

His work has been internationally influential across the academic, policy and practice communities in the following areas:

  • State information, influence and interference threats.
  • Disinformation, distortion and deception in digital environments.
  • Counter-terrorism and social reactions to terror attacks.
  • Neighbourhood Policing – designed many of the core processes and systems rolled out across England and Wales.
  • Signal Crimes – creator of this influential theoretical perspective in Criminology.
  • Murder investigations – his PhD was the first major independent study of how police investigate and solve criminal homicides.

Publication

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2006

2005

2004

2003

Articles

Book sections

Books

Conferences

Monographs

Research

Since 2007 Innes has been Principal Investigator or lead Co-Investigator on funded research worth over £15mill., working on or in over 40 countries. Funders have included Economic and Social Research Council; European Commission; Home Office; Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; Public Safety Canada; College of Policing.

Selected key publications:

Innes, M. et al. (2024) Putin’s Little Grey Men: Russia’s Political Technologists and Their Methods. Cardiff University.
https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/2875274/Little-Grey-Men-Report-Final-compressed-1.pdf

Innes, M. and Dawson, A. (2022) ‘Erving Goffman on misinformation and information control, and the social organization of Kremlin information operations’ Symbolic Interaction, 45/4: 517-40. 

Innes, M. Roberts, C., Lowe, T. and Innes, H. (2020) Neighbourhood Policing. Oxford Clarendon Press.

Innes, M. (2020) “Techniques of disinformation: Constructing and communicating ‘soft facts’ after terrorism”, British Journal of Sociology

Dawson, A. and Innes, M. (2019) “How Russia’s Internet Research Agency built its disinformation campaign”, Political Quarterly, 90/2: 245-56.

Innes, M., Roberts, C. and Lowe, T. (2017) “A disruptive influence: Prevent-ing problems and countering violent extremism policy in practice”, Law and Society Review, 51/2: 252-81.

Innes, M., Roberts, C., Preece, A. and Rogers, D. (2018) “Ten Rs of social reaction: Using social media to measure the post-event impacts of the murder of Lee Rigby”, Terrorism and Political Violence. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09546553.2016.1180289

Innes, M. (2014) Signal Crimes: Social Reactions To Crime, Disorder and Control. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Innes, M. (2006) “Policing uncertainty: countering terror through community

intelligence and democratic policing”, Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (605) pp.222-41.

Innes, M. (2004) “Signal crimes and signal disorders: notes on deviance as

communicative action”, British Journal of Sociology. (55/3) pp. 335-55.

Innes, M. (2003) Investigating Murder: Detective Work and the Police Response to

Criminal Homicide. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Impact Indicators

Oral evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee, UK Parliament (2025) and evidence to the Rycroft 'Independent Review into Countering Foreign Influence and Interference in UK Politics' (see https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/3037272-we-are-living-with-disinformation.-we-are-not-going-to-eradicate-it,-global-expert-argues)

Research cited in Culture, Media and Sport Parliamentary Select Committee Report on ‘Fake News’ (2019) and in evidence presented to the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs concerning: “Undermining Democracy: Kremlin Tools of Malign Political Influence.”

Briefings to all relevant major government departments and agencies on research into the influence of social media following 2017 terrorist attacks (2017/18).

Biography

  • 2021 to now: Lead Co-Director Security, Crime and Intelligence Innovation Institute
  • 2020 to now: Trustee of the Police Foundation
  • 2019: Fellow Academy of Social Sciences
  • 2015 to 2021 Director Cardiff University Crime and Security Research Institute
  • 2014 to 2018: Academic Lead Welsh Crucible
  • 2014 to 2017: Academic member Professional Committee of the College of Policing
  • 2011 to 2014: Deputy Director (Research) School of Social Sciences, Cardiff.
  • 2011: Visiting Fellow Centre of Excellence in Policing & Security Australia
  • 2007 to present: Professor and Director, Universities’ Police Science Institute
  • 2004 to 2006:   Senior Lecturer in Sociology, University of Surrey
  • 2003 to 2005: Research lead, National Reassurance Policing Programme
  • 1998 to 2004: Lecturer in Sociology, University of Surrey

Supervisions

Current supervision

News articles

Academics say multiple methods needed to track the public impact accurately

Foreign state disinformation campaigns too complex to be understood by current UK monitoring systems

15 June 2026

Academics say multiple methods needed to track the public impact accurately

Academics have been busy helping us make sense of the issues that matter during the Senedd election period

What next for Wales?

08 May 2026

Academics have been busy helping us make sense of the issues that matter during the Senedd election period

Professor Martin Innes gives evidence to two major UK inquiries

“We are living with disinformation. We are not going to eradicate it”, global expert argues

07 April 2026

Professor Martin Innes gives evidence to two major UK inquiries

More than two thirds (67%) of those surveyed saw content about the attack they were involved in and nearly all found it harmful or worrying

Terror survivors face trolling, abuse and harm on social media – new report on eve of Fishmongers Hall attack anniversary

28 November 2025

More than two thirds (67%) of those surveyed saw content about the attack they were involved in and nearly all found it harmful or worrying

IMITATE3's Professor Innes interviewed by Radio Free Europe's Radio Azatutyun

Professor Martin Innes Speaks to Radio Free Europe about Russian Propaganda in Armenia

31 October 2025

IMITATE3's Professor Innes interviewed by Radio Free Europe's Radio Azatutyun

Report describes this “middle tier” of professionals who sit between Kremlin strategy and the delivery of disinformation operations.

Russian political technologists – experts in “information warfare” – prepare for US elections

24 October 2024

Report describes this “middle tier” of professionals who sit between Kremlin strategy and the delivery of disinformation operations.

Latest in Cardiff Conversations series focuses on issue that poses “serious threat to democracy”

Broadcaster Babita Sharma explores the impact of disinformation

17 October 2024

Latest in Cardiff Conversations series focuses on issue that poses “serious threat to democracy”

Professor Martin Innes to investigate the impact of foreign influence operations

Misinformation campaigns under the spotlight for UK and US research collaboration

09 August 2024

Professor Martin Innes to investigate the impact of foreign influence operations

Cardiff University professor secures more than £250K in research funding.

EU funding for new project on disinformation

17 April 2024

Cardiff University professor secures more than £250K in research funding.

Security, Crime, and Intelligence Innovation Institute draws together experts in the fields of policing, public safety, and security

Experts gather at Cardiff’s inaugural security, crime, and intelligence conference

14 December 2023

Security, Crime, and Intelligence Innovation Institute draws together experts in the fields of policing, public safety, and security

Launch of a ground-breaking innovation institute which aims to tackle the new threats in crime, security, and community safety being generated by the datafication of society and spread of disinformation.

Security, Crime, and Intelligence Innovation Institute officially launched

12 May 2023

Launch of a ground-breaking innovation institute which aims to tackle the new threats in crime, security, and community safety being generated by the datafication of society and spread of disinformation.

Hacking and disinformation operation has continued to expand its activity, despite separate interventions in several European countries

West ill-prepared to deal with evolving cyber threats, report concludes

08 February 2023

Hacking and disinformation operation has continued to expand its activity, despite separate interventions in several European countries

“Minion accounts” continue mission of spreading misinformation

De-platforming Covid conspiracy theorists from Facebook has limited impact in reducing their influence, research finds

15 November 2021

“Minion accounts” continue mission of spreading misinformation

Reader comments sections used to create distorted picture of public opinion

High-profile Western media outlets repeatedly infiltrated by pro-Kremlin trolls

06 September 2021

Reader comments sections used to create distorted picture of public opinion

‘Significant attempt to influence the trajectory of US politics’

Hundreds of fake Twitter accounts linked to China sowed disinformation prior to the US election - report

28 January 2021

‘Significant attempt to influence the trajectory of US politics’

Predictions about the future implications of the murder on social media, were a key moment in polarising the Brexit campaign

Murder of Jo Cox used by “digital prophets” to widen divides before EU vote, research finds

17 June 2019

Predictions about the future implications of the murder on social media, were a key moment in polarising the Brexit campaign

New analysis of social media activities should serve as a warning ahead of the European Parliamentary elections, academics say

Scale of Russian interference in European democracy revealed

07 May 2019

New analysis of social media activities should serve as a warning ahead of the European Parliamentary elections, academics say

Evidence from academic report contributes to findings of inquiry

Research sparks calls for tougher enforcement on social media companies

05 March 2019

Evidence from academic report contributes to findings of inquiry

Leading counter-terrorism experts offer new communications guidance for authorities to better manage the impacts of terror attacks.

From Minutes to Months

24 October 2018

Leading counter-terrorism experts offer new communications guidance for authorities to better manage the impacts of terror attacks.

The level of influence and interference by Russian-linked social media accounts trying to engineer social division in the UK is considerably more extensive than has been reported to date

Russian influence and interference measures following the 2017 UK terrorist attacks

18 December 2017

The level of influence and interference by Russian-linked social media accounts trying to engineer social division in the UK is considerably more extensive than has been reported to date

Collaborative research finds UK policing approaches to social media analytics are struggling to keep up with technological advances.

Communications policing is the new community policing

04 September 2017

Collaborative research finds UK policing approaches to social media analytics are struggling to keep up with technological advances.

Copcat has been warning the public of thieves on bikes stealing mobile phones.

A cartoon cat is helping the police in London

08 August 2017

Copcat has been warning the public of thieves on bikes stealing mobile phones.

Innovative research link-up with National Counter Terrorism Command and UK police forces announced.

Fighting crime

31 July 2015

Innovative research link-up with National Counter Terrorism Command and UK police forces announced.

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