The topic of ‘Policing New Worlds: New Paradigms, New Practices’ will be addressed by Griffith University Professor Clifford Shearing for the annual Ray Whitrod Memorial Lecture, presented by the Centre for Crime and Policy at Flinders University on Wednesday May 19.
Much has changed in policing as a consequence of the shifting realities that are defining the 21st Century and Professor Shearing will explore the implications for policing of two fundamental developments – shifts in earth systems, termed Anthropocene to recognise the role of humans in these changes, and the emergence of cyberspace and artificial intelligences, that James Lovelock has termed the Novacene.
For the Whitrod Memorial Lecture, being held at Flinders Victoria Square from 5pm to 6.30pm, Professor Shearing will share conclusions emerging from an ongoing multinational study that he leads with Benoit Dupont from the University of Montreal, of disaster-focused case studies that considers the what, the who, and the how of the policing of these new worlds.
Professor Shearing holds positions at the Universities of Griffith, Cape Town and Montreal. A principal focus of his academic work has been on widening criminology’s boundaries, with a primary focus on security governance. His policy and applied work has been concerned with enhancing safety, and his research and writing has become increasingly centred on criminology’s responses to the challenges of the Anthropocene.
The Centre for Crime Policy and Research at Flinders University is delighted to present the annual Ray Whitrod Public Lecture, an important part of our public education program, putting the spotlight on criminologists across Australia and the world. Event registration can be done online via Eventbrite.
About the Annual Ray Whitrod Public Lecture: World-leading criminologist, the late Ray Whitrod AC CVO QPM, was the founder of the Victims of Crime Service in South Australia which later became a national entity. He was a member of the SA Police and the Australian Federal Police, helped establish the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, and was also the Commissioner of the Queensland Police Service and later an academic at leading public Australian universities.
Ray Whitrod came to national prominence in 1976 when he resigned as Queensland’s Commissioner of Police as a protest against corruption. It was a very public stand that enhanced his reputation as an officer of unusual integrity, dedicated to improving standards and lifting the level of education within the force.
Since 2007, Flinders University’s Centre for Crime Policy and Research has been holding a Ray Whitrod Memorial Lecture as an opportunity to promote conversation and ideas about policing.