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| Australasian Centre for Policing Research | |
|---|---|
| Name | Australasian Centre for Policing Research |
| Type | Research institute |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Headquarters | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory |
| Region served | Australia and New Zealand |
| Parent organization | Australasian Police Commissioners' Forum |
Australasian Centre for Policing Research is a regional policing research institute formed to support operational practice, policy development, and evidence-based innovation for law enforcement agencies across Australia and New Zealand. It engages with national police services, academic institutions, and international organizations to translate empirical studies into practice. The centre operates as a focal point linking police commissioners, forensic laboratories, and criminal justice agencies.
The centre was established following discussions at meetings of the Australasian Police Commissioners' Forum, after comparative reviews involving Australian Federal Police, New South Wales Police Force, Victoria Police, Queensland Police Service, and New Zealand Police. Early initiatives referenced policing models from United Kingdom, United States, and Canada law enforcement collaborations with inputs from the Australian Institute of Criminology and the Australian National University. The centre's founding coincided with debates around counterterrorism policy after the September 11 attacks and domestic security reforms influenced by the National Police Improvement Agency and the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. Over time it has responded to operational priorities mirrored in inquiries such as the Wood Royal Commission and legislative frameworks like the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act.
The centre's declared mission emphasizes improving policing practice through research, evaluation, and knowledge transfer to entities including the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, New South Wales Legislative Council, and departmental stakeholders such as the Attorney-General's Department (Australia). Objectives include producing policy-relevant studies for agencies like the Australian Crime Commission, enhancing forensic standards aligned with the Forensic Science Service models, and advising on community safety initiatives exemplified by collaborations with Local Government Association of Queensland and indigenous-focused bodies including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission-era stakeholders.
Governance has typically involved representatives from the Australasian Police Commissioners' Forum and secondees from services such as the Australian Federal Police and New Zealand Police. Operational teams draw on staff from academic partners including the University of Melbourne, Monash University, University of Sydney, University of Auckland, and research centres like the Griffith Criminology Institute. Advisory boards have included former officials from the Home Office (United Kingdom), retired commissioners associated with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and experts linked to think tanks such as the Lowy Institute and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
The centre publishes reports, briefs, and toolkits addressing topics that have intersected with high-profile inquiries and international studies, citing methodologies comparable to those employed by RAND Corporation, Australian Institute of Criminology, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Research themes include homicide investigation improvement influenced by standards from the National Institute of Justice, forensic DNA practices reflecting protocols like those of the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes, and community policing strategies referencing models seen in Scotland Yard initiatives. Publications have informed policy debates involving parliamentary committees such as the Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security and appeared in collaboration with academic journals hosted by institutions like the University of New South Wales and University of Otago.
Training programs have been co-developed with police academies including the AFP College, the Tasmania Police Academy, and the Royal New Zealand Police College, and incorporate modules adapted from international curricula used by the FBI National Academy and the Australian Federal Police Academy. Capacity-building initiatives target investigative techniques, digital forensics aligned with practices at the National Cyber Security Centre (United Kingdom), and procedural justice workshops informed by research from the University of Cambridge and Yale Law School centres on policing reform. The centre also runs secondment schemes with universities such as Deakin University and University of Queensland.
Collaborative partners include national law enforcement bodies like the Australian Federal Police, regional services such as the Western Australia Police Force, academic partners including the Australian National University, and international organisations such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Commonwealth Secretariat. Project-level partners have included forensic laboratories modeled on the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine and technology vendors used by agencies like the New South Wales Police Force for predictive analytics, drawing interest from policy forums including the Council of Australian Governments. Cross-sector links have been fostered with indigenous service organisations, legal institutions such as the High Court of Australia in matters of evidentiary standards, and community groups reflected in collaborations with the Australian Red Cross and local councils.
The centre's outputs have influenced operational practice across services including the Victoria Police and policy reviews prompted by inquiries such as the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Praised by some commissioners and academics from Griffith University for applied research, it has also drawn criticism from civil liberties groups like Australian Lawyers Alliance and commentators associated with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for perceived alignment with enforcement priorities over civil rights. Debates have focused on transparency, the balance between operational secrecy and public accountability seen in reviews by parliamentary committees, and the scope of research independence relative to funding from police agencies and governmental departments including the Department of Home Affairs (Australia).
Category:Law enforcement research institutes in Australia