A new seminar series looking at criminology and criminal justice is taking place at the University of Kent's Medway campus this autumn.

Hosted by the University's Kent Crime and Justice Centre (KCJC), the seminars are free and will cover a wide range of topics.

They are designed to be relevant to academics, students and members of the public alike, and all are welcome to attend.

The first one takes place on Tuesday, October 9. with a talk by Chief Superintendent Jan Stephens, Medway's area commander, followed by questions and further discussion.

Chief Superintendent Stephens joined Kent Police in 1976 and has served in a range of senior uniformed and detective roles across the force.

Dr Simon Shaw, lecturer in Criminal Justice Studies at the University of Kent, said an exciting new programme was being lined up.

"Criminal Justice is a fascinating field - it intrigues people and everyone has an opinion about it," he said.

"A lot of people probably base much of their understanding on reading media reports, however, so I hope that the seminars will give people a deeper appreciation of how the system really works.

"Our speakers will be people who actually work in the field and will explain some of the challenges they face."

Seminars later in the year will feature talks by Dr Kate O'Brien, lecturer in Criminology at the University of Kent, on Crime and the Night-time Economy and Russell Race with his Memoirs of a Magistrate.

The seminar on October 9 starts at 6pm in the Pilkington Building at the Medway campus.

For more details, email S.R.Shaw@kent.ac.uk or log on to www.kent.ac.uk