Toby Miles-Johnson

Truck drivers experience an elevated risk of being involved in a fatigue-related crash or incident. In Australia, approximately one third of fatal truck crashes are fatigue-related. Various contextual factors are known to increase truck crash risk, including long working hours, irregular schedules, delays while loading and unloading and limited access to suitable rest areas. Studies investigating personal factors affecting Australian truck drivers’ attitudes and compliance with fatigue-management requirements, however, are lacking. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Australian truck drivers and transport managers (N = 44) to determine how personal and contextual factors influence their intention to comply with fatigue regulation. The findings indicate that personal factors such as familial pressure, financial viability as well as inflexible enforcement and its personal consequences may influence fatigue-related health risks and compliance behaviours. This includes contextual factors such as work scheduling, training and new risk monitoring technologies. It is argued that government, transport industry peak bodies, managers, unions and truck drivers should work together to co-develop fatigue management strategies that account for personal factors likely to influence truck drivers’ intentions regarding fatigue compliance. This will support them to engage in safer and healthier fatigue management practices.

In an Australian context, there is little research which examines whether officers following a religion will place religious ideologies beyond professional guidelines and whether there are differences between religious and non-religious officers regarding decision-making and use of discretion. This raises questions about how religious and non-religious officers will engage with citizens whose identities may be similar to, or different from the responding officer, and, whether the citizen’s identity challenges an officer’s religious ideologies; thereby shaping police-citizen interaction. Whether religious or non-religious police officers are more likely to police equitably is an area of research that needs systematic enquiry; especially given that officers who are religious could apply discretional policing when adhering to religious beliefs or practices during decision-making, and, conversely, officers who are non-religious, could apply discretional adherence to organizational rules, regulations, and police training. As such, this preliminary, exploratory study sought to address this gap in knowledge. Analyzing data collected from a sample of officers (N = 1425) working in one Australian police organization, this study provides insight into how religious or non-religious beliefs shapes officers’ discretional decision-making, and citizen engagement.

Police organizations across the globe are challenged by how best to prepare recruits for careers in policing. In Australia, police organizations differ on whether to focus on officer preparedness in relation to occupational training or tertiary level police education. While the recruit training versus tertiary education dilemma is not a new debate regarding recruit preparation, this problem is heightened by the police staffing crisis, declining recruit applications, increasing officer retention, building a police force that is responsible, accountable, and respectful of the rights and dignity of every individual, and the need for officers to be digitally literate and to use technologies, so that the police organization can provide a better service to the community. As such, many Australian police organizations are struggling to recruit and retain officers and are considering whether mandated training or tertiary level education programs may dissuade or prevent applicants from a career in policing. This raises questions about the importance or lack of importance that Australian police organizations place on recruit education; firstly, as an entry requirement to a career in policing, and secondly, whether education should be partnered with occupational training. Whether recruits need to be educated to specific levels to effectively conduct police work and engage with citizens, or if police academy training (occupational training) without tertiary level police education is sufficient is discussed.

Police academy training is the foundation of police performance. In Australia, police academy programmes are usually delivered internally by police officers and are underpinned by traditional policing practices and acceptable methods of response deemed suitable. There is little research, however, which determines whether Australian police academies adequately prepare recruits to conduct police work or prime recruits for the reality of policing. Analysing data collected from 46 constables working in one of the largest Australian police organisations, this research offers original insight into a previously under-research area regarding the effectiveness of police academy training in preparing recruits for general-duties police work.

There is little research examining (collectively) recruitment, deployment, promotion, and attrition of female constables in policing, and how these issues affect organizational staffing, police practice. Presenting findings from semi-structured interviews with 46 male and female constables working in an Australian State and Territories police organization, this paper argues that exclusionary staffing practices start from the onset of recruitment because female applicants are singled-out by their sex. It argues that exclusionary staffing practices for female constables occur throughout initial recruit training, during placement within a police station or area of command, whilst being deployed or not deployed to police work, and during consideration or application of promotion related processes, which increases the probability that attrition rates of female constables will be high. Unless police organizations address these issues, it is likely that the number of female constables transitioning into senior roles will remain small; thereby reducing the likelihood that police organizations will implement or achieve equitable staffing principles. It will also diminish appropriate resources needed to run an organization and have a negative impact on staffing.

Domestic violence is an extensive social issue in Australia. It is a complex crime encompassing different behaviours and situations, which challenge police in terms of recognition and response, as well as determining appropriate outcomes of justice. During their first year of police work (whilst being evaluated under competency measures), first-year constables in Australia are frequently deployed to respond to public calls for help. As such, they are regularly sent to investigate domestic violence. Yet knowledge regarding the effectiveness of first-year constables in their response to domestic violence and policing of these crimes is lacking in much of the policing literature. This article focuses on policing of domestic violence from the perspective of first-year constables working in one of the largest Australian state police organisations (de-identified as part of the ethics agreement). It examines the findings from 46 interviews and offers insight into a hitherto under-researched area regarding policing of domestic violence by officers at the start of their policing career.

Across the globe, there is little research that examines the impact of diversity on police practice, particularly whether it increases or decreases the competency of the police organization or whether police officers perceive diversity within the organization and the addition of diverse officers as positive or negative. Contributing new findings to the extant policing literature, this research analyzes data collected from interviews with forty-six constables working in one of the largest Australian state police organizations. Contributing five key findings regarding diversity and inclusion in policing, this research suggests that lack of acceptance of diversity broadly, and bias towards diverse identified officers, results in the exclusion of officers, and a workforce that is fragmented. The lack of unification constables in this research have with diverse colleagues is concerning given that a cohesive police team increases the safety of all officers, improves the effectiveness of police response, strengthens the communication between police and citizens (as well as communication within the organization), increases the morale of officers, and will support the legitimacy of the organization. Whilst constables in this study were not asked questions about their own implicit or explicit levels of bias towards members of diverse groups, the unsolicited responses from many of the constables, as well as the recognition of Whiteness in terms of the racial identity of many officers within the organization, suggests that constables in this study are biased towards officers that are not part of the majority group.

This paper reports on a survey exploring whether police prosecutors in the Queensland Police Service can recognise and respond appropriately to intimate partner violence (IPV) in the LGBTIQ community. Utilising an online survey featuring hypothetical vignettes of IPV involving LGBTIQ people, it sought to understand police prosecutors’ recognition of, and response to, IPV situations involving LGBTIQ people; the likelihood of IPV occurring in LGBTIQ relationships; and whether friendships, interaction (social and professional), and levels of trust in LGBTIQ people shape their perceptions of LGBTIQ victims, perpetrators, and IPV itself. Contributing new knowledge into the extant policing literature examining policing of IPV, the results of this study offer a unique insight into police prosecutors and LGBTIQ IPV and their inability to clearly distinguish between perpetrators and victims in LGBTIQ IPV scenarios, particularly where coercive control is involved, or a transgender person is the victim. We argue that enhancing police prosecutors’ recognition of, and response to, IPV situations in the LGBTIQ community is important because of the key role that prosecutors play in LGBTIQ peoples’ access to justice and responding appropriately to their needs as victims and perpetrators. The results from this study have international significance regarding developments in policing policy and practice and IPV recognition, and what this means for operational policing guidelines and better policing response when prosecuting IPV situations involving LGBTIQ people.