3D analysis of facial features for proof of identity across Australia's ethnically diverse population. The forensic sciences concerned with establishing Human identity play a vital role in safeguarding Australia. Certainty in Human identification is required by police and intelligence agencies because knowing the identity of perpetrators (or potential perpetrators) of crime allows effective preventative intervention. This is particularly important during surveillance operations and in the contex ....3D analysis of facial features for proof of identity across Australia's ethnically diverse population. The forensic sciences concerned with establishing Human identity play a vital role in safeguarding Australia. Certainty in Human identification is required by police and intelligence agencies because knowing the identity of perpetrators (or potential perpetrators) of crime allows effective preventative intervention. This is particularly important during surveillance operations and in the context of border protection. When crime has already been committed, the identification of victims and perpetrators is important for the exoneration of the innocent and successful prosecution of the guilty. The full utilisation of 3D morphometric analysis of faces will provide criteria robust enough for legal proof of identity. Read moreRead less
Understanding the nature and characteristics of youth violence in Australia. This study addresses the important problem of violence in Australian youth and the need for early intervention/prevention to limit further reoccurrences and escalation of violence across the life span and its associated economic and health costs. For the first time we will have specific access to Australian data on violent offending patterns and risk in adolescents for use in service planning rather than attempting to a ....Understanding the nature and characteristics of youth violence in Australia. This study addresses the important problem of violence in Australian youth and the need for early intervention/prevention to limit further reoccurrences and escalation of violence across the life span and its associated economic and health costs. For the first time we will have specific access to Australian data on violent offending patterns and risk in adolescents for use in service planning rather than attempting to apply findings from North America and Europe to our unique population. Work in this field will help improve the characterisation and identification of at-risk individuals and should ultimately improve our ability to direct treatment interventions to the most needy and most high risk groups.Read moreRead less
Whistling While They Work: Enhancing the Theory and Practice of Internal Witness Management in Public Sector Organisations. The protection of whistleblowers and other internal witnesses to corruption, misconduct and maladministration is a great unsolved problem in public sector governance. Involving 11 integrity institutions, this first national study of internal witness management will describe and compare organisational experience under varying public interest disclosure regimes across the Au ....Whistling While They Work: Enhancing the Theory and Practice of Internal Witness Management in Public Sector Organisations. The protection of whistleblowers and other internal witnesses to corruption, misconduct and maladministration is a great unsolved problem in public sector governance. Involving 11 integrity institutions, this first national study of internal witness management will describe and compare organisational experience under varying public interest disclosure regimes across the Australian public sector. By identifying and promoting current best practice in workplace responses to public interest whistleblowing, the project will use the experience and perceptions of internal witnesses and first- and second-level managers to identify more routine strategies for preventing, reducing and addressing reprisals and other whistleblowing-related conflicts.Read moreRead less
Closed Circuit Television Surveillance, Security Networks and Australian Public Space. This project will make a significant contribution to our understandings of how visual surveillance systems impact upon the way public spaces are experienced and utilised. By examining the social impacts of surveillance this study will facilitate the development of security measures that facilitate greater inclusiveness and community cooperation. It will also assist the development of security measures cognizan ....Closed Circuit Television Surveillance, Security Networks and Australian Public Space. This project will make a significant contribution to our understandings of how visual surveillance systems impact upon the way public spaces are experienced and utilised. By examining the social impacts of surveillance this study will facilitate the development of security measures that facilitate greater inclusiveness and community cooperation. It will also assist the development of security measures cognizant of local variation and potential social consequences. Read moreRead less
International student safety from crime. International education currently generates $15.5 billion per annum in exports and involves 520,000 students in Australia. Safety from crime is a fundamental requirement of international students and source governments are insisting Australia needs to improve student safety. These demands must be met if Australia is to sustain its level of involvement in the industry. The project will assist this effort by helping develop solutions to student crime proble ....International student safety from crime. International education currently generates $15.5 billion per annum in exports and involves 520,000 students in Australia. Safety from crime is a fundamental requirement of international students and source governments are insisting Australia needs to improve student safety. These demands must be met if Australia is to sustain its level of involvement in the industry. The project will assist this effort by helping develop solutions to student crime problems that are tailored to Australia's unique circumstances. The project will help enrich Australia's international reputation and improve the safety of international students and Australian communities.Read moreRead less
Computer-assisted 3D morphometrics for human identification. This project anticipates the rapid adoption by security services of comparative 3-D facial morphometrics for the identification of "persons of interest" and the concomitant creation of large databases of such characteristics. Anatomical knowledge will be used to refine new Japanese software which semi-automatically matches 3D facial landmarks and morphology between suspect and database and to validate its use in Australia. We build on ....Computer-assisted 3D morphometrics for human identification. This project anticipates the rapid adoption by security services of comparative 3-D facial morphometrics for the identification of "persons of interest" and the concomitant creation of large databases of such characteristics. Anatomical knowledge will be used to refine new Japanese software which semi-automatically matches 3D facial landmarks and morphology between suspect and database and to validate its use in Australia. We build on current collaborative research by the applicants in Australia and Japan with funding provided by both governments. Our research has validated comparative facial morphometrics for suspect identification and underpinned the use of facial scanning by police throughout Japan.Read moreRead less
Establishment of Identity from Quantitative Analysis of Facial Characteristics. This project will provide the Criminal Justice systems in Australia and Japan with more rigorous methods of identifying people from eye-witness and surveillance video reports. It builds on research previously undertaken into analysis of facial morphology, and provides an innovative approach to identification through the use of three dimensional modelling and high speed computer graphics augmented by Fourier analysis ....Establishment of Identity from Quantitative Analysis of Facial Characteristics. This project will provide the Criminal Justice systems in Australia and Japan with more rigorous methods of identifying people from eye-witness and surveillance video reports. It builds on research previously undertaken into analysis of facial morphology, and provides an innovative approach to identification through the use of three dimensional modelling and high speed computer graphics augmented by Fourier analysis of shape parameters. The project is part of a formal collaboration with the National Research Institute of Police Science in Tokyo, providing an ethnically diverse data set of three dimensional graphical and mathematical models.Read moreRead less
Developing a Regulatory Framework for Mass DNA Screenings: A comparative study of public requests by crime investigators for bodily samples. The aim of the proposed study is to devise a principled model for regulating the performance of mass DNA screenings by Australian police. A ?mass DNA screening? is a public appeal by criminal investigators for bodily samples in order to test whether donors can be linked to a particular unsolved crime. Recent law reform inquires have recognised that the var ....Developing a Regulatory Framework for Mass DNA Screenings: A comparative study of public requests by crime investigators for bodily samples. The aim of the proposed study is to devise a principled model for regulating the performance of mass DNA screenings by Australian police. A ?mass DNA screening? is a public appeal by criminal investigators for bodily samples in order to test whether donors can be linked to a particular unsolved crime. Recent law reform inquires have recognised that the various legal regimes governing mass DNA screenings are inadequate in many respects. The study will develop a new regulatory framework suitable for implementation in all Australian jurisdictions through a principled consideration of laws and recent practice in Australian and comparative jurisdictions.Read moreRead less
Assessment and Redevelopment of the Community Safety Officer Role in Victoria and Associated Retraining. A 30-month action-research project spearheaded by the Department of Criminology, to reassess and redirect the Justice Department's "Safer Communities" strategy. This sophisticated strategy has experienced extensive program drift, and key objectives and outcomes must be redefined. Research aims include: assessing the roles of the State's thirty-two Community Safety Officers; reviewing and revi ....Assessment and Redevelopment of the Community Safety Officer Role in Victoria and Associated Retraining. A 30-month action-research project spearheaded by the Department of Criminology, to reassess and redirect the Justice Department's "Safer Communities" strategy. This sophisticated strategy has experienced extensive program drift, and key objectives and outcomes must be redefined. Research aims include: assessing the roles of the State's thirty-two Community Safety Officers; reviewing and revising job descriptions, activity profiles, skill requirements and supervisory structures; and retraining relevant personnel. Outcomes will be independently assessed. Crime prevention and safety strategies are being implemented in most Western countries, and similar problems are being experienced. Hence the project is of national and international significance.Read moreRead less