Looking forward to CSI Portsmouth 2016 - Saturday 5 March 2016 where crime fiction meets crime fact

The sixth CSI Portsmouth where crime fiction meets crime fact will be held on Saturday 5 March 2016 at the Pyramids Centre, Clarence Esplanade, Southsea. Tickets go on sale on 4 January and before then I thought I'd take a look back at previous CSI Portsmouth events this time to CSI Portsmouth 2011 (view the details of the first CSI Portsmouth in 2010).

CSI Portsmouth 2011 was held on Saturday 5 November 2011 at the John Pounds Centre, Portsmouth, and was voted a great day's entertainment by the people who attended.  Over a hundred people attended the packed morning programme of talks and a hundred and fifteen the afternoon panel debate.

Introducing the panel at CSI Portsmouth 2011


The morning programme consisted of talks from former Detective Superintendent and crime writer Bob Bridgestock; fingerprint expert Jane Aston from Hampshire Police Fingerprint Bureau; Lucy Wainwright, forensic psychologist from the University of Portsmouth International Centre for Research in Forensic Psychology and myself who gave a talk on writing a crime novel.

Pauline Rowson running a seminar on writing a crime novel at CSI Portsmouth 2011


The afternoon panel debate featured, alongside myself, my fellow crime authors, Michael Ridpath, John Harvey and Mark Billingham who took questions from the moderator, Cheryl Buggy, Station Director of Express FM Radio, and from the audience. This was followed by a book signing.

Pauline Rowson, Michael Ridpath, John Harvey and Mark Billingham at CSI Portsmouth 2011


The crime authors were joined one the panel by crime experts: Dr Claire Nee, Director of the International Centre for Research in Forensic Psychology at Portsmouth University, Dr Paul Smith, Crime Scene Expert from the University of Portsmouth, DC Nick Bettesworth from the Major Crime Unit Hampshire Police and DS Martin Chudley Crime Scene Manager from Hampshire Police.

Crime experts meet crime authors at CSI Portsmouth 2011


We were also joined by the Hampshire Police Fingerprint Bureau who were on hand to take the delegates fingerprints to press it into a keep sake key ring to take away.

Hampshire Police Fingerprint Team at CSI Portsmouth 2011


From the first CSI Portsmouth was a hit with the audience as well as with the crime authors and experts. The idea came as a result of being asked many times during my talks how I researched the forensic and police procedural aspects of my crime novels.  I approached Portsmouth Library Service about holding an event aimed at bringing together crime authors and crime experts in a panel debate. They loved it and as they were also about to launch the very first Portsmouth BookFest, a fortnight long festival to celebrate the love of reading, it seemed the perfect time to stage the event.

Since then CSI Portsmouth has gone from strength to strength. Over the coming months I will be featuring CSI Portsmouth, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.  There was a gap in 2015 because the Portsmouth Bookfest dates were moved.  But CSI Portsmouth is back for 2016 with a great line up of crime authors and police and forensic experts, details to be announced soon.


CSI Portsmouth where crime fiction meets crime fact CSI Portsmouth 2016 is on Saturday 5 March at the Pyramids Centre, Southsea. Tickets on sale from 4 January 2016. It is a highly informative and entertaining day so if you like crime fiction, police procedure, forensic analysis and true crime be sure to be there.


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