Tell us about yourself
I am an Associate Professor and the Director of Education in the School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet) in the College of Asia and the Pacific at ANU and an Associate Editor of Policing & Society.
My interdisciplinary research explores how and why societies govern and deliver security during or in anticipation of different types of crises. Much of my work to date is anchored in the idea that policing is best conceptualised and studied as networks or webs of actors whose interactions collectively serve to advance or reproduce particular versions of social order. This builds on the tradition of “nodal governance” scholarship by illuminating how global and local forces collectively shape the governance and delivery of security across different policing landscapes.
My current work draws on these ideas to explore how different policing networks and actors around the world are attempting to manage and mitigate risks and harms caused by climate change.
Why did you want to become a Research Affiliate?
Vulnerability is emerging as an important theme in my research on climate change and policing but it is a concept I have yet to really explore.
I am particularly interested in pursuing this collaboratively with colleagues at the Centre who are studying the complex relationship between policing and vulnerability as it relates to diverse policing roles, functions, and problems. This will enrich my understanding and create opportunities for knowledge exchange and research collaboration between the Centre and RegNet, which is a world-leading interdisciplinary centre for research on regulation and global governance.
How does your research connect to the Centre’s mission and values?
My research seeks to understand how policing will be impacted by, and might adapt to, anthropogenic risks and harm. The fundamental aim is to develop strategies that help to ensure that policing actors and activities, both ‘everyday’ and ’emergency-oriented’, serve to enhance societal resilience to disasters and reduce vulnerabilities in an equitable and sustainable manner. By adopting a nodal governance approach, I seek to work with policing actors and the policed to understand the disruptive and transformative impacts of climate change on the governance and delivery of policing, and co-design interventions that will support effective adaptation on multiple scales.
The research explicitly recognises the differential impacts of policing throughout communities, and the risk that policing during crises may reproduce or exacerbate the inequitable distribution of safety and harms. The research is guided by RegNet’s social democratic values and principles and commitment to constructive engagement and innovative problem solving. This closely aligns with the values and principles of the Centre.