By Dr Joel McGregor, ANZSOC Newsletter Coordinator
The landscape of policing research and practice has undergone significant changes recently. Emerging challenges such as the effects of climate change and technological advancements, coupled with shifting community expectations, have transformed the way police operate.
The Policing Thematic Group plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, with the goal of contributing to the development of innovative, practical, and ethical approaches to policing that align with societal needs and priorities.
“We strive to recognise and promote the significant contributions of policing researchers in our region”.
Convenors, Dr. Elise Sargeant and Dr. Kelly Hine, see the primary mission of the ANZSOC Policing Thematic Group as fostering and enhancing the networks among policing researchers and practitioners across Australia, New Zealand, and beyond.
They are committed to building resources that support both academics and practitioners engaged in policing education, and aim to advance high-impact policing research.
“We are focusing on increasing the visibility of policing research by connecting scholars and practitioners with essential resources and support”.
Dr Sargeant and Hine encourage ANZSOC members to actively participate in the thematic group by proposing ideas for activities or suggesting ways they can better support policing research and education.
“We welcome contributions from students, early-career researchers, academics, practitioners, and any other interested parties. Feel free to share your ideas with us!”
If you’re interested in joining the Policing or other ANZSOC thematic groups, become and ANZSOC member here, you can select which group you would like to join within your membership application. ANZSOC Thematic Groups provide a platform for members to connect around specific themes, see more information on established thematic groups here.
“By working together, we can make meaningful strides in the field of policing research and practice, ensuring that our efforts reflect the evolving needs of our communities”.
Dr. Elise Sargeant is a Senior Lecturer at Griffith University’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice and the Griffith Criminology Institute. Her research focuses on procedural justice and legitimacy from both police and citizen perspectives, with a particular emphasis on ethnic minority and immigrant groups. Elise has extensively published on procedural justice policing and collaborates with police officers to evaluate practices, including the policing of sexual violence and the impact of police uniforms. She also serves as the Director of Higher Degree by Research Programs in Arts, Education, and Law at Griffith University.
Dr. Kelly Hine is a Senior Lecturer at the University of the Sunshine Coast’s School of Law and Society. Her research centers on front-line policing practices and police-citizen interactions, including decision-making processes, use of force, and police technology. Kelly’s expertise also covers police misconduct and integrity. She is the Program Coordinator for Criminology and Criminal Justice at UniSC and has served as the Assistant Deputy Head of School (Research). Since 2021, she has been the Treasurer for ANZSOC.
We, the members of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology (ANZSOC), acknowledge the traditional custodians of Australia and the sovereignty of the Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand.
ANZSOC would like to acknowledge the ongoing Traditional Custodians of the lands for which our constituents conduct their teaching, learning, and research. We would like to acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded and the lands, now called Australia, continue to belong to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the Traditional custodians of the lands. ANZSOC would like to pay respects to the Elders who have passed on the legacy of knowledge and culture to the future generations and acknowledge that the future generations hold the hope, the stories and the continued knowledge for current and emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. May this knowledge through Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing guide you with wisdom and courage.
ANZSOC also recognises iwi Māori and their unceded right to tino rangatiratanga (sovereignty) and their expression of mana motuhaka (self-determination). We acknowledge mātauranga Māori (Māori ways of being and knowing) informs both traditional and contemporary knowledge production and its ability to enhance our collective futures.
The Association acknowledges the consequences and harms that continue to be inflicted by the criminal justice systems of Australia and Aotearoa-New Zealand on Indigenous peoples in the region and seeks through its activities to address these harms and to work to prevent them from continuing in the future.
