Policing and Society Conference
The Policing and Society Conference is a venue where Icelandic and international academics and professionals meet and converse about policing in a broad sense. This year’s conference theme is De-escalation.
Call for Abstracts
The Police Science Research Center at the University of Akureyri (Iceland) invites abstracts for its 8th Policing and Society Conference on October 1 and 2, 2025. The conference is a venue where Icelandic and international academics and professionals meet and converse about policing in a broad sense. Professionals and academics who work in fields that involve policing in one form or another are encouraged to submit abstracts that build on their work and/or research.
The keynote speakers reflect this year’s conference theme: De-escalation. De-escalation refers to methods aimed at bringing calm to volatile situations using the least amount of force possible. Police reform in Iceland and abroad has increasingly emphasized de-escalation in recent years, and it is important to learn more about this approach.
We strongly encourage abstracts that deal with de-escalation but we, of course, welcome all contributions that intersect with policing in one form or another. To reiterate: this conference is a joint venue for academics and professionals to share their research and experience involving policing, learn from one another, and engage with the public.
Keynote speakers will be announced later.
Registration
The conference registration fee is €65 per person and the program, coffee and refreshments are included. University students attend free of charge. Conference attendees pay for their own travel and accommodation.
Keynote Speakers
Mikael Emsing
Mikael Emsing is an Associate Professor at the School of Police Studies at Södertörn University in Stockholm, Sweden, and is a research fellow at the Department of Epidemiology and Global Health at Umeå University. He worked as a police officer in Umeå and Stockholm from 2006 until retiring from the force in 2023 . Mikael has long been interested in and taught conflict management, communication, and the use of force. Since 2015, he has been a certified Polkon instructor trainer (e.g., train-the-trainer), which includes instructor status in weapons and tactics, physical methods and techniques, emergency medicine, and mental preparedness. Mikael holds an MA degree in Pedagogy and a PhD in Epidemiology and Public Health. His dissertation focused on conflict management, mental health, and personality among Swedish police recruits and officers.
Juha-Matti Huhta
Juha-Matti Huhta works at the Police University College of Finland, where he serves as the Chief of the institution’s Research, Development, and Innovation unit. He is also involved in both research and teaching. He has over 25 years of experience in the police organization, including roles in patrol and emergency operations, as well as in specialized units such as the K9 unit and tactical special response team for high-risk situations. Juha-Matti holds a PhD in Education, focusing on the development of situational awareness in police operations. For more than a decade, he has also researched, developed, and taught stress management methods tailored for law enforcement and other first responders.
Useful Information:
- The conference will be held October 1 and 2, 2025, in the Miðborg house of the University of Akureyri. The conference runs from 9:00 Wednesday October 1 to 13:00 Thursday October 2.
- Each presentation is allotted 25 minutes, which includes Q&A. Abstracts (maximum 250 words) should be submitted via email (goddsson@unak.is) no later than June 15. Abstracts should include a title, short description, methods, main results and/or arguments. Include information about academic position, profession, and the order of the authors (if more than one).
- The conference registration fee is €65 per person and the program, coffee and refreshments are included. University students attend free of charge. Conference attendees pay for their own travel and accommodation.
- There will be a conference dinner Wednesday October 1.
- Conference website: Policing and Society Conference
- Several airlines fly to Iceland, including Icelandair
- Icelandair flies from Reykjavík to Akureyri
Further Information
For more information contact Guðmundur Oddsson, Professor of Sociology at the University of Akureyri goddsson@unak.is; tel. +354 460 8677