Seventeen Charles Sturt University (CSU) policing students have returned from a study tour to Ottawa in Canada with an expanded view of international policing issues and practices.

Mr Brian Daly, lecturer and course coordinator in the CSU Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security, said the undergraduate and postgraduate CSU students joined Canadian policing students for the 'Emerging Issues in Policing' program delivered at the Canadian Police College in Ottawa. The College is administered by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to deliver specialised training to police from across Canada.

"The 'Emerging Issues in Policing' school in Ottawa was a great opportunity for students to interact and learn about international law enforcement problems, differences, and similarities," Mr Daly said.

"The students came from a mix of civilian and military policing jurisdictions in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Military Police, and from the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Quebec in Canada.

"The school was a forum where the students were able to learn from high level presenters, and have opportunities and experiences that exist nowhere else in the university environment. Most importantly, the distance education students who attended learned so much from each other across all the activities throughout the week."

The CSU students are enrolled in the Bachelor of Policing, Bachelor of Policing (Investigations), and fraud and financial crime courses at the Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security, and were accompanied on this CSU Global-assisted study tour by CSU lecturers Professor Vern White, Mr Lindsey Brine, and Mr Daly.

Topics covered during the school included: leadership and policing; addressing challenges in policing, and policing careers; the importance of reflection for police leaders; remote area (Arctic) policing; National security and counter terrorism; human trafficking; briefing and site visit re murder on Parliament Hill, Ottawa, and site visit and security briefing at the Canadian Parliament; ethics and ethical dilemmas in policing; and change management in addressing policing issues.

Participating CSU students praised the scope of the program and the opportunities it provided.

Ms Di Oakes (Graduate Diploma of Fraud and Financial Crime) described the study tour program as 'awesome, unforgettable and amazing'.

"We were incredibly lucky to meet and have access to some very high level people and see things that the general public don't get to see," Ms Oakes said. "It was a chance to reflect on current practice, discuss problems with colleagues in the global crime fighting community, and develop a sense of awareness of emerging issues. This is a course that anyone aspiring to be in a policing leadership role should not miss."

Ms Simone Murrie (Bachelor of Policing) said she found the course was extremely valuable because she was given access to high ranking police officers who were not only interested in educating all the students in the current issues of policing, but also in providing an opportunity to assist in the career development of each participant.

"By being a residential course I was able to liaise with all other participants, inside and outside of the classroom, exchanging information and techniques that will last with me throughout my career," Ms Murrie said. "I would highly recommend this course to anyone who is interested in any form of security or law enforcement study."

Ms Zoey Cash (Bachelor of Policing) from Queensland said the week at the residential school was an invaluable experience, with knowledgeable facilitators who took a genuine and active interest in each student.

"The facilitators allowed the exchange of information between students from different countries, backgrounds, and job descriptions," Ms Cash said. "We had once-in-a-lifetime access to exceptional presentations, knowledge and information, making the experience very worthwhile and memorable."