About
Us
Behavioural Measures UK (BMUK) was established by Professor Don Grubin and US polygraph expert Eric Holden in 2009. The company evolved from work carried out at Newcastle University over the previous 10 years. Now run solely by Professor Grubin, the aim of BMUK is to ensure that the use of polygraphy by UK government bodies is based on sound principles and practice, avoiding the controversies associated with its use in the United States and elsewhere in the world.
Between 2009 and 2014 BMUK worked with the Ministry of Justice to establish mandatory polygraph testing of high risk sex offenders on parole license. When mandatory polygraph was rolled out in England and Wales in 2014 BMUK was awarded the contract to train, supervise and provide quality control for the probation examiners. We have continued to do so since.
In 2011 BMUK commenced work with the police to evaluate and implement polygraph testing as part of their management of registered sex offenders, and to contribute to the risk assessment of offenders who were arrested for downloading indecent images of children from the internet. There are now 14 police forces who use polygraph testing to assist them in managing registered sex offenders. All these police examiners have been trained and are supervised by us.
The success of the probation programmes has resulted in a further trial of mandatory testing of high risk domestic abuse offenders on parole license which commenced in 2021, and the introduction of mandatory testing of released high risk offenders who committed terrorist related offences, also in 2021. In addition, the police are now able to attach a polygraph requirement to conditional cautions and soon to Sexual Harm Prevention Orders.
BMUK is different from other polygraph training schools in that it requires graduates to commit to ongoing supervision and quality control. We believe that the controversies associated with polygraph testing are not fundamental to polygraphy, but to poor practice and implementation. This can only be achieved by continuous oversight and professional development. It is for this reason that our training is limited to government agencies.