Jill Dando Institute

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The Jill Dando Institute (JDI) is the world's first university centre of crime science. It was inspired by the British broadcaster Nick Ross and founded in 2000 at University College London (UCL) with help from the British Home Office, support of the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens, and with public donations raised after the murder of British TV presenter Jill Dando.

In 2005 a Security and Crime Science Centre was established in the JDI to work with industry partners in creating new approaches to countering terrorism. Collaborations include psychologists, geographers, economists, physicists, chemists, computer scientists, and biologists as well as designers and town planners.

The JDI's Director is Prof Gloria Laycock. The international Crime Science Network was established at JDI in 2004 and attracts membership from mostly English-speaking countries, notably the US, Australia and New Zealand.

UCL has a history of pioneering new university subjects, including geography.