Sarah Morton

As Lecturer in Policing, Sarah teaches on both the Professional Policing Degree (PPD) and the Police Degree Apprenticeship Programme (PCDA). Their responsibilities include curriculum development, teaching, and providing academic and pastoral support to enhance student attainment and employability. Sarah contributes to a range of modules across each academic year, ensuring that learning is grounded in contemporary policing practice and aligned with professional standards.

Before joining academia, Sarah served for thirty years with Greater Manchester Police, retiring at the rank of Superintendent with responsibility for overseeing the Criminal Justice and Custody branch. During this time, Sarah held extensive leadership roles, delivering improvements to enhance policing services and strengthen relationships with local communities.

With a breadth of operational experience in neighbourhood policing across every rank up to Chief Inspector, Sarah worked in some of the most challenging and deprived areas of Manchester, leading significant initiatives to reduce violence and acquisitive crime and to promote safety and community cohesion. As Chair of several multi-agency partnership groups, Sarah led collaborative problem-solving approaches to address crime, anti-social behaviour, and community concerns.

At both local and regional levels, Sarah contributed to the development of Criminal Justice collaborations focused on improving outcomes for victims through greater efficiency and integration within the justice process. A strong advocate for equality, diversity, and inclusion, Sarah played a key role in establishing and supporting staff associations for minority groups, including LGBTQ+ colleagues, while championing wellbeing and a positive organisational culture across the force.

Sarah also led major change management programmes to enhance service delivery, including work in digital forensics and public protection. As a qualified Tactical Firearms Commander, Sarah led high-risk, high-stakes policing operations, demonstrating professional decision-making under pressure.

Since retiring from operational policing, Sarah has taught on the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) programme at the University of Salford as part of a collaboration with Lancashire, supporting the professional education of new Greater Manchester Police officers. Sarah now contributes to the Professional Policing Degree at the University of Lancashire.