NCJ Number
162514
Journal
Criminology Australia Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Dated: (Autumn 1996) Pages: 10-13
Date Published
1996
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This is a brief look at today/s Australian police and the changing nature of their responsibilities.
Abstract
The Australian Institute of Criminology planned to issue in 1996 a work detailing achievements in Australian policing. Topics included: community policing; police race relations; privatization; police custody; police accountability; and police use of firearms. A national attitude survey conducted over the past 5 years disclosed general public satisfaction with police contacts, effectiveness and efficiency, professionalism, crime perceptions and concerns, police-community relationships, and police roles. While Australia is a less violent society than it was 100 years ago, pockets of violence are concentrated, multiple victimization is a fact of criminal justice life, and new forms of sophisticated crime require new approaches. Collaborative work involving police, researchers, and training agencies must be expanded in order to explore, describe, and explain policy relevant data. The first step in forming this partnership is to know what police do, to whom and with whom they do it, and how they can best use their human resources.