Professional development

This short course introduces participants to key aspects of asset tracing and recovery processes from an investigative perspective. These include:

• Common law asset tracing and recovery;
• Trusts, asset tracing and recovery;
• Corporations, directors’ duties and liability;
• Insolvency processes;
• Civil tracing and forfeiture under proceeds of crime legislation; and
• Criminal law tracing and recovery remedies.

It approaches the various processes from a principled, complementary and holistic perspective rather than as distinct avenues of approach.

Upon completion of the course, participants would be able to:

• Appreciate the basic principles and concepts underlying asset tracing and recovery;
• Understand the basic processes available and their respective jurisdictions;
• Identify applicable investigative methods and powers;
• Participate in asset tracing and recovery processes; and
• Critically analyse asset tracing and recovery processes.

This course is designed to develop an understanding of both the phenomenon of and the responses to terrorism financing. Course topics include the following:

• Identify various terrorist financing methodologies and mechanisms including alternative remittance services, transnational crime, use of charity services, and other means of raising funds.
• Identify changes in the character of terrorism over time, and the associated changes in financing and resourcing mechanisms.
• Intelligence gathering processes available to the State including anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing legislative responses.
• Contemporary civil law restraint and forfeiture regimes.
• Applicable criminal law processes and remedies.

On completion of the course, participants will:

• Understand the role of transnational criminal networks in facilitating and supporting terrorist activity. Distinguish between traditional organised crime and transnational organised crime, and changed aims and objectives.
• Develop an appreciation for the adaptive and evolutionary nature of terrorism, and of terrorist financing, in response to counter measures.
• Understand basic intelligence-related legislative responses; and
• Understand applicable civil and criminal process and responses.

This program will provide participants with an overview of the central concepts contained in ‘Countering Violent Extremism (CVE)’. Participants will become acquainted with key concepts such as radicalisation, counter-narratives, and the importance of social media in the radicalisation process.

On completion of this course participants will be able to:

• Understand the importance of ideology and extremism, and articulate the distinction between the two
• Identify the core understandings of the radicalisation process, and the social and psychological drivers of this process
• Appreciate the importance of contextual and environmental influences on radicalisation, including both local and international influences
• Understand the role and influence of the online environment in relation to the radicalisation process, and the broader establishment of terrorist narratives through propaganda
• Recognise the process by which social media is able to influence and facilitate the radicalisation process
• Understand the motivations and drivers for foreign fighters and the role of transnational identity in this
• Appreciate the complexity of seeking to counter violent extremism, and develop an enhanced understanding of the effective mechanisms for doing so
• Distinguish between effective and ineffective countering violent extremism programs, identify the reasons for success and failure, and improve capacity for the development of evaluation mechanisms

This intensive course provides a bespoke response to various areas of professional requirements, in any combination of the following topics:

• The social and psychological dynamics of crowd events, particularly as this relates to the policing of potentially hostile crowds and the processes governing the escalation of minor disorder into major ‘riots’.
• Key case studies in the policing of major events
• The relationships between the science of crowds, principles of human rights and democratic forms of operational policing, in particular with respect to the strategic and tactical approaches necessary for the effective management of high-risk political demonstrations.
• The principles of applying the science of crowd psychology to strategic and tactical approaches to the management of sporting event, political protest and mass emergency crowds.
• The principles of and science behind the application of modern crowd psychology to the construction and maintenance of community resilience during mass emergencies.
• The importance of police dialogue in the maintenance of public order during crowd events and for protecting police from the negative impacts of the critical incidents that regularly flow from high profile crowd events.

The new strategic and tactical approaches to the policing of crowd events designed to reduce conflict, manage crowd dynamics and avoid critical incidents.

• The basic theoretical concepts, models and approaches within the science of crowd psychology and the current status of evidence and theory. Specifically, how crowd psychology has advanced upon the conceptual framework traditionally utilised by police forces to conceptualise crowd dynamics.

On completion of a program, and in some combination relative to the relevant areas of study, students should be able to:

• Articulate and evaluate the decisions made in the course of crowd control/public order situations.
• Develop planning processes along with increased efficiency and effectiveness in the application of resources when preparing for and managing crowd events.
• Increase capacity to deliver effective outcomes.
• Provide leadership strategies that empower and enable commanders to utilize a full range of tactical options and to avoid activities that inadvertently lead to escalations in conflict or undermine community resilience.
• To deliver effective and efficient crowd management operations that:
  • Deliver information led tactically graded profiles which are proportionate.
  • Can appropriately and effectively balance competing human rights demands in dynamic and challenging circumstances.
  • Reduce the likelihood of conflict during crowd events and increase efficiency in the use of resources.

Assist in protecting the police and other organizations from negative reputational outcomes.

This short course seeks to provide police and law enforcement agencies with broad understanding of key aspects and characteristics of the cyber threat environment, and to provide participants with an enhanced understanding of the threats, actors, and possible approaches to managing this dynamic challenge.

On completion of the course, participants will be able to:

• Identify and understand the new forms of criminal activity enabled by computer technology, including key foundational concepts of the cyber domain.
• Understand the unique challenges presented by cybercrime, including jurisdictional challenges, pace of technological change, attribution of responsibility; and volume of activity.
• Develop an appreciation for the interconnected nature of cybercrime and other forms of cyber threat, including terrorism and espionage.
• Improve understanding of the key role of the private sector in managing and responding to cyber threats, and the need for strong public-private relationships
• Increase capacity to identify and distinguish between different threat actors in cyberspace, including hackers, cybercriminals, and cyber espionage. Appreciate the role of different motivations and purposes of different attacks.
• Key case studies on major cybercrime incidents, and the implications and consequences for the State, and the role of law enforcement agencies.
• Recognise the changing information environment and the changing public relationship with information, technology, and privacy, and the implications of this for policing agencies and police.

The program introduces the following areas of emergency risk management & disaster recovery and practice:

• Emergency Management Concepts and Principles
• Emergency Risk Management
• Emergency Management Planning
• Multi-Agency Incident Management
• Evacuation Planning
• Emergency Operations Centres
• Post Disaster Survey, Assessment and Recovery
• Multi Agency Command in disaster situations

Participants would develop their understanding of key emergency risk management concepts, principles and practice, using case studies and real world events as the basis of their learning.

Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the concepts and principles of emergency risk management
• Explain the processes for conducting risk assessments and undertaking emergency management planning
• Identify the key aspects of emergency response management
• Identify the key issues relating to evacuation planning and multi-agency incident management
• Understand the concepts, principles and practices relating to emergency recovery management

This program would address a number of crucial aspects around the conduct of forensic investigations, including:

• The rise of forensic science - mythology and fact
• Interaction between criminal investigation and forensic science
• The difference between evidence or intelligence in forensic matters
• Proper methods of processing offence scenes
• Handling exhibits
• Determining time of death
• Principles of document examination
• Principles of blood pattern analysis
• Principles of fingerprint comparison
• Principles of firearm examination
• Principles of digital evidence

Participants will develop an awareness of what forensic science is all about, what it can and cannot do, and how it is applied to criminal investigations.

On successful completion of the program participants will have the option of completing a postcourse assessment to be eligible for credit towards undergraduate/graduate studies at Charles Sturt University.

The program aims to equip participants to -

• understand how forensic science links to criminal investigation
• identify what material is likely to be useful in an investigation and what is useful in a court hearing
• have an understanding of how to approach, secure, and process offence scenes
• identify the means by which contamination and corruption of offence scenes and exhibits occur and how to prevent such
• have an understanding of several key forensic science disciplines

This program of study introduces students to the investigative process and develops their understanding and skills of investigation.

The program will consider the procedures and techniques involved with managing investigative activities, particularly having regard to the relevant legal, evidential and organisational frameworks including organisational objectives.

It will introduce legal responsibilities of managers, relationships with key stakeholders, case management models, cost effectiveness and resource allocation.

Topics include:

Part A - Investigation Framework

• Defining the legal and operational framework of an investigation
• Investigating complaints of fraud or other acts of misconduct  the ethical and legal complexities of the gathering and presenting evidence
• Conducting interviews and taking statements and
• Compiling a report/brief of evidence and finalise judicial proceedings

Part B - Investigation Management

• principles of management and planning
• management responsibilities
• case management and objective-setting
• private/public sector investigations - the relationship; and investigations and the courts

On successful completion of this program, participants should

• be able to demonstrate an understanding of theoretical and operational concepts relevant to the investigative process
• be able to demonstrate an understanding and knowledge of the procedures followed by investigators and other stakeholders and challenges arising in these be able to demonstrate an understanding of the maintenance of evidence integrity from crime scene to forensic resolution
• be able to think critically about the ethical dimensions of investigative functions and how these can impact on processes and procedures.

Participants may undertake a post program assignment, completion of which will enable them to obtain credit towards further studies at Charles Sturt.

An intensive Investigative Interviewing course may cover the following theoretical topics:

• Ethical issues which impact upon interviewing practice
• Legal issues relating to the admissibility of evidence
• Social and psychological factors relative to interviewing
• Interviewing techniques
• Reliability of eye witness evidence
• Cognitive interviewing/Free recall
• Management of conversation with victims
• Interviewing witnesses and suspects, including the more vulnerable
• Factors that affect eyewitness testimony
• Stages and types of memory

Participants would develop interviewing skills and be in a position to maximise the opportunities to gain accurate and relevant accounts from victims, witnesses and suspects by using real case studies.

On completion of the program participants would be able to –

• Conduct interviews effectively, efficiently and accountably
• Understand best practices and how to maximise opportunities using the PEACE interview model
• Plan an interview
• Understand the difference between interviewing witnesses and suspects
• Know how to cater and care for the more vulnerable interviewees

This course is designed to develop operational and strategic level decision making in quick time. This course will use case real world case studies and responses to major natural events and counter terrorist operations, and includes the following components:

• Defines of the principles of Command and Control, and in particular the specific roles and responsibilities of individuals throughout the Command and Control structure
• Describes dynamic and traditional decision making Outlines the impact of personal perception, emotional intelligence and world view on dynamic decision making and communication
• Explains personal pressures and accountabilities for commanders
• Facilitate effective multi-agency communication within a complex environment with conflicting priorities and will provide the participants with an understanding of the following;
  • Importance of Decision Making (theory)
  • Recording and Audits
  • Classical/Traditional Decision Making
  • Naturalistic Decision making
  • Stressors and Counter measures
  • Operational Command Decisions in critical incidents
  • Decision Scrutiny

The course includes a ‘table-top’ exercise facilitated by experienced Commanders to reinforce the participants understanding of making command decisions during a critical incident in a multi agency environment.

This short course provides an overview of the key concepts related to both terrorism and counterterrorism. Participants will be provided with analysis and insight into the main actors, motivations, capabilities, and tactics of key terrorist entities, and the primary approaches utilised to counter them.

On completion of the course, participants will be able to:

• Identify key terrorist organisations and networks, and their relevant motivations and structures
• Understand the relationship between terrorist’s strategic objectives and their tactical and targeting decision making
• Appreciate the increased role of technology by terrorist, particularly the use of the online environment, and the relationship of this with ‘lone-wolf’ and ‘home-grown’ terrorism
• Articulate the importance of both existing and new tactics used by terrorists, particularly those tactics used outside of conflict zones
• Distinguish between the various approaches to counter-terrorism, and the role of different agencies from law enforcement, intelligence, and military agencies
• Identify the challenges that democratic states confront in their efforts to counter-terrorism, and recognise the importance of legal and ethical considerations
• Articulate the importance and value of a variety of counter-terrorism measures, and be capable of providing justifications for the actions of counter-terrorism agencies.