Head of the Serious Violence Reduction Unit, Home Office

Continuing Policy Fellow, Centre for Science and Policy

David is focused on the reduction of serious harms – be that reducing the exploitation of vulnerable individuals or the risk from terrorism – and using innovation and systems thinking to do so.

He is was previously Deputy Director at HMG’s CONTEST Unit and is responsible for helping to ensure a strategic and prioritised approach to HMG’s counter-terrorism efforts.

Previously he worked extensively on supporting British nationals in distress overseas as the FCO’s Consular Regional Director for South Asia, based out of New Delhi. He had the overview for a high performing network that responded to a series of major crises as well as regular complex cases on issues including child abduction, imprisonment and violent assault.

Prior to that he ran the Forced Marriage Unit, establishing it as a cross-governmental unit and using innovative approaches both in the UK and overseas to tackle this human rights abuse.