More than 500 policing students will graduate from Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Policing Studies and the Australian Graduate School of Policing this Friday, 28 October. The ceremony will begin at 10.30am at the Sports Centre, Sydney Olympic Park and will feature an occasional address by Mr Kevin Kitson, Director of Intelligence with the Australian Crime Commission. A highlight of the ceremony will be the graduation of fire investigation students – the result of a successful collaboration between NSW Fire Brigades and CSU. New South Wales Police Commissioner Ken Moroney, will present the Diploma of Policing Practice graduates with their awards and five prize winners will be announced.

A leading climate change researcher with Charles Sturt University (CSU) believes delaying the emissions trading scheme (ETS) will cost every Australian in the long run. Professor Kevin Parton, a lead researcher with CSU’s Institute for Land, Water and Society, said the Federal government’s decision to delay the introduction of the scheme until after 2012 to wait and see what the rest of the world will do on carbon emissions was no reason to delay. “The three biggest polluters are USA, China and Europe. China is developing green technologies, and Europe already has an ETS. They are going to be way ahead of Australia,” Professor Parton said. “The media has greatly exaggerated the cost of an ETS to the public, leading to falling public support for the scheme. And the government doesn’t want to take the scheme to its first election.” Professor Parton said under ‘business as usual’ without an ETS, Australia can expect to double its average level of income by 2050. “But with the ETS this income doubling would be delayed only one year.”

A contingent of police from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates in the Persian Gulf, were the guests at a special graduation ceremony and dinner at the Australian Graduate School of Policing (AGSP) at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Manly on Wednesday 19 May. Ten officers from a group of 14 travelled to Manly especially for the ceremony to receive their Master of Arts (Criminal Intelligence) and Graduate Diplomas (Criminal Intelligence). CSU’s Mr Patrick Walsh, the course co-ordinator, said, “These officers were unable to attend the main policing graduation, but I am very pleased that the School was able to provide a special graduation dinner for them which the University’s Chancellor, Mr Lawrie Willett, AO, and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Ross Chambers, attended with Associate Professor Tracey Green, the Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts (Policing and International). This ceremony was smaller than the usual CSU graduation, but it’s very special as the students have flown all the way from Abu Dhabi. They are accompanied by senior officers from Abu Dhabi Police, including the head of their training department. The AGSP and Abu Dhabi Police will meet before the ceremony to discuss how to expand this program.”

Senior police officers from Hyderabad in India are visiting NSW as part of a two-week study tour at the conclusion of their postgraduate studies at the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Australian Graduate School of Policing. As part of the second of three annual academic training courses for Indian police officers to be delivered by the AGSP, 114 senior officers will attend special lectures and visit a range of facilities to hear from senior Australian officers and academics, including CSU’s Associate Professor Nick O’Brien and Mr Mick Keelty, the former Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police. The officers, facilitated by invaluable support from NSW Police, will visit key operational facilities, see leading technologies, systems and best practices in Australian policing. They will visit the CSU School of Policing Studies in Goulburn to inspect the facilities, examine the training course, and attend their graduation.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) bestowed an honorary doctorate on a professor of policing from China when he visited CSU in Manly on Tuesday 20 March. Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at CSU, Professor Ross Chambers, said Professor Shiquan Wang, the President of China Criminal Police University (CCPU) in Liaoning Province, was a highly notable and worthy recipient of the CSU honorary Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) because of his contribution to international police education. “Charles Sturt University recognises and wishes to acknowledge that Professor Wang is a leading forensic science teacher and researcher in his field,” Professor Chambers said. “He has made an outstanding contribution to international collaboration in policing and police education, and in particular, to collaboration with this University. Through Professor Wang’s leadership, our two universities have developed a close collaboration that currently sees five CCPU staff based at Charles Sturt University undertaking full-time PhDs. CCPU undergraduate students are able to spend 12 months in Australia so that they complete a CSU Bachelor of Policing as well as their CCPU degree. So far, there have been three intakes of students, and our two universities have collaborated in seminars and conferences, most recently in Indonesia. These developments reflect Professor Wang’s strong personal commitment to international linkages and collaboration, and his vision of the importance of internationalisation in education, and for policing.”

Carers of people with a mental illness are the focus of a new research project by a psychology student at Charles Sturt University (CSU). Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) Honours student Mr Gerald Haslinger is seeking participants in a confidential survey which aims to find out more about the experience of unpaid carers and mental health service providers in caring for someone with a mental illness. “I am interested in hearing from unpaid carers and service providers, and what they understand about the Recovery approach to caring for someone living with a mental illness, an approach that is widely accepted within the mental health sector.  My study seeks to find out the level of awareness of this approach amongst mental health service providers as well as unpaid carers.” Mr Haslinger, an education and training officer with a non-government agency in Sydney, has extended the survey until Friday 13 July.  He is completing his degree by distance education through the School of Psychology at CSU in Wagga Wagga. For further details about the survey, contact Mr Haslinger on his email  or take the survey here.

Police officers from the Canadian capital, Ottawa, recently undertook a residential school hosted by The Rocks Local Area Command in central Sydney as part of their Bachelor of Policing course with Charles Sturt University (CSU). Nine officers, ranked between sergeant and inspector, were based at CSU’s Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security in Manly for the week-long residential school. CSU Bachelor of Policing  course coordinator, Mr Brian Daly, said the residential school gave the police from Ottawa international exposure to policing practices in Australia, particularly in planning security for the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Opera House, large central transport and office sites, and consular premises.  The participants were also shown Australian policing practices on alcohol related crime, large public demonstrations, unlawful large gatherings, crowd control, and legislation used in dealing with public gatherings. “The involvement of The Rocks Local Area Command and the NSW Water Police was essential to the success of the visit, and exposed the Canadian students to the best of policing in NSW," Mr Daly said.

A program to advance Charles Sturt University (CSU) as a leader in higher education teaching and learning will be launched in Bathurst on Tuesday 17 September. CSU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Garry Marchant, said, “Given the ongoing growth of student numbers and evolution of the higher education sector due to theoretical and technological developments, the launch of ‘Smart Learning’ will enable a stronger professionalised teaching focus to improve student engagement and maintain high-quality teaching standards at the University. With the implementation of Smart Learning, Charles Sturt University will lead the way in higher education learning and teaching innovation.” Information about Smart Learning and the next steps in establishing this program will be presented at the launch at The Grange, CSU in Bathurst at 3pm on Tuesday 17 September.

A group of Canadian police officers are at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Manly this week undertaking a residential course as part of theirBachelor of Policingdegree by distance education. The Head of the CSUSchool of Policing Studies, Associate Professor Rosemary Woolston, said the study visit by the nine officers from three Canadian Police Forces -  Durham, Ottawa and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police – was being hosted by CSU's Australian Graduate School of Policing(AGSP) in Manly in conjunction with the Manly Local Area Command (LAC). "The commander of Manly LAC, Superintendent Dave Darcy, has welcomed the Canadian officers to his command where they will observe local police in action," Professor Woolston said. "During their visit the Canadians, most of whom are Inspectors or Senior Sergeants, will provide a fresh set of eyes on policing problems in the Manly area, with a focus on drink-driving, other alcohol-related crimes, and homelessness. They have accompanied Manly police on patrol, have spoken to members of the community including local taxi drivers to gauge their observations about local crime, and have observed sessions at Manly Court. At the conclusion of their visit, the Canadians will present their findings to Superintendent Darcy and a panel of Manly community leaders."