Duane started his career as a police officer in the South African Police Service, reaching the rank of Inspector, whereafter he was a public prosecutor in the National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa, reaching the level of Senior Public Prosecutor (SPP). He was then head-hunted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (now PwC) forensic services, where he project-managed financial crime investigations.

In 2004, Duane joined the North-West University (NWU) where he first lectured in corporate law in the Law Faculty before joining the newly established Programme in Forensic Accountancy in 2007 to lecture in criminal law and criminology. His doctoral thesis explored the combating of organised crime, after which he was seconded to the State Capture Commission as part of a research project for the Chair of the Commission. Duane was invited to appear before the Financial Action Task Force panel of assessors to speak on issues of corruption and money laundering during South Africa’s mutual evaluation in 2019. He held several leadership positions at NWU, including Programme Leader of Forensic Accountancy and Director of Strategy in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor.

In early 2024, Duane joined Charles Sturt University as a Senior Lecturer in Policing Studies, whereafter he was appointed as Associate Professor and the Director of the Centre for Law and Justice. Duane’s hobby is to write crime fiction, having published novels and short stories in Afrikaans.