Overview

This subject provides students with an overview of policing in a criminological context. Students will gain an understanding of the breadth of the field of policing, including historical, international and methodologies, as well as a critical engagement with policing practices. In addition an appreciation of the importance of theoretical models when applying a critical analysis to policing.

Requisites

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Teaching Period 3
Location
Online
Start and end dates
04-November-2024
09-February-2025
Last self-enrolment date
17-November-2024
Census date
29-November-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
27-December-2024
Results released date
04-March-2025
Teaching Period 2
Location
Online
Start and end dates
07-July-2025
05-October-2025
Last self-enrolment date
20-July-2025
Census date
01-August-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
22-August-2025
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
04-August-2025
02-November-2025
Last self-enrolment date
17-August-2025
Census date
31-August-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
19-September-2025
Results released date
09-December-2025

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Explain how current Australian and international police systems developed from past events and speculate about the future of policing
  • Describe and analyse practices, processes and procedures of police forces in relation training and strategies of law enforcement
  • Evaluate different approaches, both applied and theoretical, to policing crime
  • Analyse policing systems for effectiveness and responsiveness across a diverse Australian community
  • Apply social scientific research methods to evaluate police procedures and policies, and demonstrate the extent to which they use evidence-based practices

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Online
Lecture		1.00 12 weeks 12
On-campus
Class		2.00 12 weeks 24
Specified Activities
Various		2.00 12 weeks 24
Unspecified Activities
Various		7.50 12 weeks 90
TOTAL150

Swinburne Online

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Live Online
Class		3.00 12 weeks 36
Online
Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning		9.50 12 weeks 114
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Essay Individual  40%  1,2,3,4,5 
Poster Individual/Group  30%  1,2,3,4 
Quizzes Individual  30%  2,3,4 

Content

  • History and Development of Modern Policing
  • The role and Function of the police in the 21st Century
  • Policing strategies
  • Police Culture
  • Police Governance and Accountability
  • Work Integrated Learning in Policing
  • Policing Diversity Communities
  • Policing Indigenous Communities
  • Private and Plural Policing
  • Transnational Policing
  • Technology & Policing
  • Evidence Based Policing

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.