{"id":14357,"date":"2025-03-13T09:51:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T09:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/?p=14357"},"modified":"2025-03-13T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T12:00:00","slug":"changing-the-conversation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2025\/03\/13\/changing-the-conversation\/","title":{"rendered":"Changing The Conversation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Reading graduate and Detective Chief Inspector, Laura Corscadden, shares her extraordinary career – from local community support, to counter-terrorism and leading major crime investigations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"From UK terror attacks, to investigating historic child abuse reports and currently investigating homicides \u2013 Laura has worked on many complex and demanding cases and is now making a lasting impact in Reading by tackling myths around consent.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Laura graduated from the University of Reading in 2005 with an undergraduate degree in philosophy and English<\/a>, before returning for a master\u2019s in philosophy<\/a>. After graduation she worked in a number of roles in Thames Valley Police (TVP) and is now leading Reading\u2019s innovative campaign to raise awareness about consent.<\/p>\n

Philosophy to policing<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"It was a desire to know the meaning behind the law that inspired Laura\u2019s degree choice. She said: \u201cI was fascinated by law and the application of law in society. \u00a0I liked the critical thinking that came with it and not always relying on information. Studying philosophy allowed me to see the law through a different lens and the standard of teaching at Reading was excellent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although raised in Wales, Laura had strong family ties to Reading, and during her degree\u00a0 she worked in the Students\u2019 Union caf\u00e9 and built lifelong friendships. Laura said: \u201cI loved my time at Reading.<\/p>\n

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The campus fostered a really nice atmosphere and Reading became a place I felt really connected to.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Laura decided to stick around after completing her degree and joined TVP as a Community Support Officer before becoming a Police Officer.<\/p>\n

After two years, Laura became a Detective in the Child Abuse Unit. \u201cIt was while working in the Child Abuse Unit that there was an influx of reports of historic sexual offences, prompted by the Jimmy Saville case,\u201d Laura explained. \u201cThese cases are challenging to prosecute due to their historic nature and evidence that is lost over the years. It was new ground for us all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Climbing the ranks<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"As Laura\u2019s career advanced she transitioned into counter-terrorism where, working in a regional team, she focused on national security issues \u2013 including the rise of ISIS. Laura reflected: \u201cIt was mind blowing to see firsthand how we handle significant national threats. It broadened my perspective on policing, and it showed me the importance of strategic, national level approaches to tackle threat and risk. \u201d<\/p>\n

Laura\u2019s hard work didn\u2019t go unnoticed and through the College of Policing\u2019s fast-track scheme, she was promoted to Inspector within two years. She said: \u201cI felt really lucky to get on the scheme. It is a national scheme with specific training and professional development around the issues impacting policing and what is needed from good leaders.<\/p>\n

From there, Laura returned to work in Reading where she oversaw the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which tackles serious and complex crimes such as firearms, modern day slavery and sexual offences. It was her leadership in CID that earned her the 2023 National Investigator of the Year award.<\/p>\n

Laura said: \u201cThe award was very much a team effort and down to the phenomenal work that was done as a team to help the community. It was a huge honour to accept it and a huge accolade for Reading.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2024, Laura was promoted to Detective Chief Inspector, leading major crime investigations, including homicides and complex cases. She continues her professional development and will spend Autumn 2025 training at the FBI\u2019s National Academy in Quantico, Virginia.<\/p>\n

Laura has also shaped policing education, collaborating with the University of Reading\u2019s School of Law<\/a> to provide some exposure to policing with attachments for students and mentoring students through the Thrive Mentorship Programme<\/a>.<\/p>\n

She reflected: \u201cIt\u2019s rewarding to see students I\u2019ve mentored build successful careers. One student who I supported six years ago is now an intelligence analyst with the Metropolitan Police \u2013 it\u2019s inspiring to see their journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

A groundbreaking campaign<\/strong><\/h4>\n

One of Laura\u2019s most impactful projects has been her involvement in Consent Conversations<\/a> \u2013 a new campaign in Reading tackling the myths around consent. She explained: \u201cIn policing, the issue of consent is central to many of our cases. We see the impact of the lack of understanding around consent both from the side of those reporting the offence and those being investigated.<\/p>\n

\u201cConsent is such a complex issue, especially in a town like Reading with a busy nightlife, a university, and the Reading Festival.\u201d<\/p>\n

The campaign aims to educate and prevent sexual offences by challenging common myths and misconceptions surrounding consent. \u201cThere are ideas about what a typical victim is and how they respond or react to rape \u2013 such as how quickly they would report it, that everybody fights off an attacker, or that every rape is violent. Although there\u2019s been a lot of work done to eliminate these false narratives, unfortunately they still exist,\u201d Laura explained.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThese misconceptions then really impact how people react if something does happen to them.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

“It can make them question if their situation was rape in the legal definition, if they will be believed, and these doubts then impact the chances of them reporting it.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time as discussions around the Consent Campaign began, the Crown Prosecution Service and Equally Ours Survey<\/a> brought to light shocking statistics. Laura said: \u201cOne figure that really stuck with us was that 78% of people who took part in the survey thought that if you met somebody online and communicated that you wanted to have sex, or that you will have sex, that you then had to have sex when you met up.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis really highlighted a problem to us that people were thinking they were duty bound to have sex because they spoke about it online.\u201d<\/p>\n

Providing the tools<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The campaign teamed up with influencer Georgia Harrison who had gone public with her own experience of having explicit images shared without her consent. They sought to address not only sexual assault but also the role of digital spaces in shaping people\u2019s understanding of consent.<\/p>\n

By working with local organisations across Reading, the team produced a powerful 20 minute documentary aimed at normalising conversations around consent. Laura explained: \u201cWe wanted a preventative campaign that challenges societal norms and is a conversation that is inclusive and not just based on a heteronormative view. It\u2019s about creating a culture where consent is understood as a process, not just an end state.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watch the documentary below:<\/p>\n