Clifford Stott

Research

His initial research interest was in political dissent and this led to research into how peaceful protests change to become violent through observing the psychology of crowds. His work indicated that, rather than riots being driven by hooligans who are predisposed to violence (the 'mindless mob' perspective developed at the end of the nineteenth century), they are structured and led by beliefs. The majority of the crowd consider that they are peaceful protestors with a right to express their views. If disorder or confrontation starts, and the police act against it, the crowd experiences what they consider is illegitimate police use of force. This changes their behaviour so that they resist the police. His research has led to changes in policing by some authorities with the aim of reducing violent confrontations.

He studied the London Poll Tax riots and Italian World cup in 1990, riots in the UK in 2011, and in Hong Kong in 2019, using social media and mapping to follow their trajectory.

Using ideas gained from his research, he advised a region of Portugal on policing football matches. The success of this approach led to its introduction across Portugal, and was subsequently adopted by UEFA across Europe. It has resulted in decreased violence.

He is co-chair of the Security and Policing group and a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Behaviours (SPI-B) advising the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies of the UK government in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.