Stuart Bartels APM (Aus), Dr Robyn Mildon (Aus), Det Insp Mike Newman (Aus), Superintendent Dave Cowan (AUS), Rachel Tuffin OBE (UK), chaired by Stef Bradley (AUS)
The final report of the Strategic Review of Policing in England and Wales was released earlier in the year by the Police Foundation. Seen as a landmark report into the future of policing, the report proposes the most ambitious reform in a generation. Although based on evidence from England and Wales, the report offers police globally over 56 recommendations that relate to reforming culture, skills and training and organisational structure. The report says that policing needs to adopt a learning culture, so that police officers have better opportunities to develop professionally, so that professional standards are raised and so that the police can use the best evidence to achieve better outcomes for the public. One recommendation calls for evidence based policing units to be implemented across police services to support and create a culture of evidence and learning, but is this enough? The panel discuss this report, its recommendations relating to evidence based policing and the importance of evidence in challenging traditional thinking in the context of building and maintaining legitimacy in policing.
Biography
Stuart Bartels
Stuart Bartels is the Executive Director of the Australian Institute of Police Management (AIPM). Unique in the police and public safety landscape, the AIPM works with hundreds of police and public safety leaders each year to nurture and develop their executive leadership capabilities. Drawing on an extensive policing career, Stuart champions and drives the connection between today’s complex policing and public safety challenges and the role of leaders and leadership. A passionate advocate for people centred leadership, Stuart views leadership development as an experiential process and is committed to creating a safe learning environment where leaders can reflect, challenge, observe, and grow. Stuart views contemporary national and international policing and public safety context as central to leader development, and to that end continues to drive partnerships with organisations across the globe. The list of partner organisations is extensive and includes local and international universities, peak policing bodies, First Nations leaders, mental health advocates, and law enforcement bodies including the FBI, the US Federal Law Enforcement Training Centre (FLETC), Police Scotland, Netherlands Police, Singapore Police, Pacific Island Chiefs and many more. Within this list of organisations Stuart sits on a range of related committees and advisory boards. Stuart’s qualifications include a Master of Public Policy and Administration and a Bachelor of Science (Forensic Investigation). In addition, he is a proud graduate of the AIPM’s own Police Leadership Strategy (PLS) and an IECL Certified Organisational Coach. Stuart has been awarded a Commissioners Commendation, the Commissioners Medal for Excellence and an Australian Police Medal. Stuart is married with two children and in his spare time enjoys music and sport.
Robyn Mildon
Robyn Mildon, PhD, is an internationally recognised figure in the field of research translation and implementation science and program and policy evaluations in health, education and social services. She is the Founding Executive Director of the Centre for Evidence and Implementation (CEI www.ceiglobal.org ), a global social purpose organisation whose work now spans across 8 countries. She is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Monash University, a Visiting Professor at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Co-Director of the recently established Behavioural and Implementation Science Interventions (BISI), National University of Singapore, and Chair of the Evidence and Implementation Summit 2021 (www.eisummit.org).
CEI is a not-for-profit intermediary organisation with offices in Australia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and Norway and academic partnerships across the globe. Since establishing CEI in 2016, Robyn has overseen the rapid growth of the Centre, attracting over 200 funded projects with a total value of over $55 million dollars.
Over her career, Robyn’s work has helped to advance the implementation of better evidence in policy and practice settings, improving the quality and effectiveness of health, education and human services. She has authored or co-authored multiple peer-reviewed publications, commissioned evidence reviews and book chapters including being a co-author of an edited book Implementation Science 3.0 (Springer, 2020).
In 2022 she was awarded the John Westbrook Award for Contributions to Knowledge Translation by the Campbell Collaboration. This international award recognises outstanding contributions to knowledge translation and the dissemination and implementation of evidence.
Robyn was the founding Chair of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Australasian Implementation Conference (AIC) was the Co-Chair for the 2018 Global Evidence and Implementation Conference and is Chair for the Evidence and Implementation Summit, March 2021 www.eisummit.org.
Mike Newman
Detective A/Superintendent Newman is currently the Operations Commander, Financial and Cyber Crime Group, QPS. Mike is an advocate for adopting an evidence-based approach in policing, having led and brokered numerous initiatives within the QPS. He provides a voice for evidence-based policing nationally and internationally through his involvement in the ANZSEBP.
Dave Cowan
Superintendent Dave Cowan has been with Victoria Police for 26 years and has experience as a detective and a prosecutor and has lead a range of reforms in the summary criminal justice system. He currently manages the Community Safety Division within the Corporate Strategy and Operational Improvement Department. The Division comprises of 5 Units including the Drug and Alcohol Strategy Unit, the Victims Advisory Unit, the Safer Communities Unit, Diversion Alignment Project and the newly formed Policing Innovation and Research Unit.
Prior to moving to the current role, Dave lead a range of organisational wide reviews including a review of Counter Terrorism leading to the establishment of the CT Command. He lead a review of persons in police custody which resulted in the reclassification of all custody facilities state-wide and cells upgrades at 80 locations. He lead a governance review of Family Violence which resulted in the establishment of the first Family Violence Command in Australia. He also reviewed volume crime scene services in Victoria Police and implemented the Frontline Volume Crime Strategy. Dave recently lead the development of the Victoria Police Corporate Plan 2016 -2018 which shapes the future direction of the organisation aligned to the Blue Paper.
Dave has a Graduate Diploma in Executive Leadership and in 2013 was awarded the Australian Institute of Police Management, Australasian Policing Scholarship where he undertook studies at the JFK Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Rachel Tuffin
Rachel is responsible for creating and sharing innovation, knowledge and good practice, and delivering the College’s diversity and prevention portfolios. She has published on issues ranging from neighbourhood policing, leadership, handling racist incidents and race hate, to the recruitment and career progression of people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds in policing and flexible working. Her OBE was awarded in 2013 for services to policing, specifically championing evidence-based policing.
Stef Bradley
Transforming organisations to achieve better outcomes for the business, staff and clients has been a key motivator for Stefanie for over 15 years. “What drives me is making a difference with the work that we do, either employees having a better work experience or an organisation managing a change program successfully that has a downstream impact on product or service delivery,” she says.
Stefanie is the Partner in Charge for KPMG’s Enterprise Transformation practice (People & Change, Policy, Programs & Evaluation, Transformation & Program Management). Her experience covers organisational transformation, change management, strategic human resource consulting, finance and human resources business process re-engineering, and systems implementation projects in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
Stefanie joined KPMG in 2000 and left to work in the US, then returned to the firm in 2009. She became a partner in 2012. Clients with a focus on social justice are of particular interest, including police, corrections, child protection, and human services. “Fundamental to our success is our collaborative network and sharing knowledge and opportunities,” she says.
Stefanie has been associated with the ANZSEBP since 2014.
Stefanie spends her time outside work with her husband and two children, and indulging her love of blue grass music and movies. “My side passion is music and film. I have a Pink Floyd poster in my office!” she says.