Take the politics out of top cop appointment
Following the resignation of Chief Commissioner Simon Overland earlier this year, Premier Ted Baillieu suggested that Victoria Police needed a 'crime fighter' to lead Victoria Police forward. Others called for a 'safe pair of hands'.
The announcement this week of Ken Lay's ascension to the leadership of our police force delivers just that.
Locating Crime in Context and Place: Perspectives on Regional, Rural and Remote Australia
The urban focus of crime has dominated the attention of criminologists. Although images of idyllic, crime-free areas beyond the cityscape persist, there is scant academic consideration of the realities and variances of crime across regional, rural and remote Australia. Contributors to 'Locating Crime' explore the nexus between crime and space, examining the complexities that exist in policing, prosecuting and punishing crime in different zones. The various authors draw upon original knowledge and insight and utilise innovative research and an interdisciplinary approach to their work. The broad theme of 'Locating Crime' is centred on 'context, place and space', but several sub-themes emerge too. Contributors grapple with a number of issues: contextualisations of rurality; notions of 'access to justice'; the importance of building 'social capital'; the role of history; and of proactively addressing offending rates with crime prevention measures. This original research adds significantly to criminological understandings of crime in different spaces and offers novel insights of the impact upon victims and communities affected by crime in non-urban environments.
Overland’s legacy should be independence for police chiefs
The tabling last week of the Office of Police Integrity report into Spring Street shenanigans again highlights a fundamental question: how do you safeguard the integrity and independence of the office of police chief commissioner? And really, was Simon Overland's tenure as chief commissioner so bad that a series of political heavyweights and political advisers were justified in seeking to effectively force him from office?
The Rush Report – A missed opportunity
Last year, with enormous pressure on former Chief Commission Simon Overland, Jack Rush QC was appointed to inquire into the command, management and functions of the senior structure of Victoria Police. Mr Overland resigned soon after Mr Rush's inquiry commenced. But the Inquiry continued, and the final report is now available.