Australia

END OF YEAR REVIEW: As 2022 draws to a close, Policing Insight Editor Keith Potter looks back over some of the key law enforcement themes covered over the past 12 months, the challenges met and opportunities offered, and our continuing commitment to provide a platform for sharing expertise, understanding and best practice throughout 2023.

ANALYSIS: This week saw the tragic killing of two Queensland Police officers during a shooting incident that left six people dead; Dr Terry Goldsworthy, Associate Professor of Criminology at Bond University, believes that while such events are rare in Australia compared to other countries, this latest loss of life will highlight once again the inherent dangers of policing, and what more can be done to reduce such risks.

FEATURE: This week the head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation announced that the country’s terror threat level was to be reduced; Dr John Coyne, head of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Northern Australia Strategic Policy Centre, warns that while the move should be welcomed, extremist ideologies still exist in Australia and will need continued careful and close monitoring to prevent any further acts of violence.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to Dr Christopher Dowling, Research Manager at the Australian Institute of Criminology, about measures to block organised crime offenders from the legitimate economy, holistic efforts to tackle organised crime, and the latest research on tackling outlaw motorcycle gangs.

FEATURE: Australia’s Queensland Police, like many other forces around the world, deal with worrying levels of domestic violence on a daily basis, with many incidents carried out by repeat offenders; but the introduction of a simple text messaging initiative to remind those subject to protection orders about the behaviour conditions they are required to follow has seen a significant drop in repeat offences and an associated reduction in costs, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: This month’s ANZPAA Conference offered another opportunity to learn more about brain fingerprinting, and the potential for its use in law enforcement investigations and deception detection; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the background to this cutting-edge technology, research on its operational performance to date, and how it could benefit policing and criminal justice systems moving forwards.

LONG READ: The emergency services response to the flooding in Australia’s Northern Rivers region, which began in February and remains ongoing, has been subject to close scrutiny and two major independent inquiries; Policing Insight’s Alan Beckley examines some of the key findings and recommendations from the two inquiry reports, and considers their implications for policing in the region.

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FEATURE: Reporting a crime or seeking help from police can be a challenge for anyone, but for those who have difficulty communicating it can be particularly tough; Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons spoke to Victoria Police and Scope Australia about a new accreditation programme that reassures those with disabilities while ensuring officers have the skills and training to overcome communications challenges.

ANALYSIS: A series of inquiries have highlighted links between Australian casinos and money laundering, but despite the revelations there has so far been little individual accountability; journalist Georgina Kenyon believes the gaming empires are also guilty of providing opportunities for organised crime to wash the ‘dirty money’ derived from animal trafficking and other illicit wildlife activity, making Australia a favoured location for those looking to profit from environmental crimes.

FEATURE: With the dramatic increase in reports of sexual violence linked to dating apps and online violent pornography in recent years, ANZPAA facilitated a project which brought together police, government and industry to share experiences about online-initiated sexual violence, as Chloe Boyd, ANZPAA’s Senior Policy and Research Officer reports.

OPINION: Two recent reports into modern slavery have highlighted Australia’s leading role in efforts to eradicate human trafficking and modern slavery; Australian Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay and research assistant Jennifer Katrib believe the reports also underline the importance of Australia’s continued leadership in this role, both for the country and for the wider region.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The inaugural Conference of the Global Collaboration of Evidence Based Policing takes to the virtual stage next week. This is a fully online live 24 hours of Exceptional Policing the Evidence Based Way – operationally relevant EBP stories and studies coming live, via your desk or phone, wherever you are. Register your ticket today! Make sure you claim your FREE ticket if your organisation or agency is already onboard.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The AIPIO ‘Intelligence International 2022’ conference and exhibition - to be held in the Sofitel Melbourne, 23-26 October – brings together over 50 national and international leaders offering subject matter expertise to navigate collaboration across capability development, new partnerships, and emerging ethical dilemmas. The event is a hybrid event with both in person and online registrations available.

ANALYSIS: A ‘whole of government approach’ to human trafficking in Australia, which combines awareness raising with a focus on support for victims and an understanding of their complex needs, has led to a significant increase in the number of victims identified across a wide range of modern slavery-related crimes including forced marriage, forced labour, sexual exploitation and organ trafficking, as Policing Insight Contributing Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: Improving mental health and wellbeing for police, as well as the response to those in mental health crisis, is a key concern for law enforcement globally; Jacqueline Durand, Acting Director (Strategy) at the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA), looks at what is being done in both countries to support officers, as well as efforts to respond collaboratively with paramedics and mental health to those community members in crisis.

OPINION: The campaign to raise the age of criminal responsibility in Australia from 10 to 14 continues to gather pace; but Dr Terry Goldsworthy, a former police officer and now Associate Professor at Bond University, argues that incarceration of youth offenders is a sentencing outcome rather than a determination of criminal responsibility, and raising the age of responsibility will do little to address the underlying causes of youth crime.

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QUEEN ELIZABETH II: As the UK Royal Family entered a period of mourning following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday, Policing Insight looks at some of the tributes and messages of condolence that have been sent from the policing family in the UK and overseas.

QUEEN ELIZABETH II: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has sadly died today. Our publisher Bernard Rix expresses condolences on behalf of the the team at Policing Insight and PolicingTV.

ANALYSIS: As many as one in three people in Australia, New Zealand and the UK have experienced image-based abuse, yet fewer than half of those who witness it have intervened; research by Dr Asher Flynn of Monash University, Elena Cama of the University of New South Wales, and Dr Adrian Scott of Goldsmiths, University of London explores why people do or don’t intervene in such instances, and the vital role that bystander intervention programs could play in responding to image-based abuse.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The Australian Institute of Professional Intelligence Officers (AIPIO) is launching the International Intelligence Conference 2022 (II2022). AIPIO President Dr Phil Kowalick introduces the conference and invites members and other delegates to take part 23rd to 26th of October 2022 in person and online.

ANALYSIS: When human remains were found in two suitcases bought in a storage auction in New Zealand it made headline news around the world, but dead bodies are discovered in bags and suitcases with surprising regularity; Dr Paola Magni, Senior Lecturer in Forensic Science at Murdoch University, explains the key role insects can play in determining the details of such deaths, and outlines a ground-breaking experiment underway in Western Australia which will help to solve such crimes.

OPINION: The prospect of the increasing police use of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly around predictive policing, have prompted concerns over potential bias, and the need for transparency and explainability; Dr Nick Evans of the University of Tasmania believes that with the right safeguards in place, the use of AI could establish built-in objectivity for policing decisions, and potentially greater trust and confidence in police decision-making.