Rural Access to Justice: Perceptions, policy and practice of rural policing in Victoria, Australia

• In Event: Rural Access to Justice Part I (Access to Policing)

Abstract

In ‘the rural’, where distances between settlements and properties are greater, population density lower and where there are historically more relaxed attitudes to security, significant differences exist between these spaces and those in ‘the urban’. Notably, local policing presences are also sparser. Sir Robert Peel observed that every effort of the Police is to be “directed” and that “the ability of the police to perform their duties is dependent upon public approval…” A Blue Paper published by Victoria Police in 2015 noted that “[t]here is a mismatch between patterns of demand and the allocation of resources”: that the distribution of operational staff has historically been based on population size rather than crime rates. This paper will consider crime rates as the top priority and consider the social and economic impact of crime in agricultural settings. Assessing contemporary policing policy and practice in Victoria, it will consider the (in)visibility of rural police against Peel’s aims for the ‘modern’ police and the impact of comparably low reporting rates, will draw upon the extant scholarship on access to justice, and will advocate for evidence-based improvements to policing policy and practice to enable greater access to policing services by Victorian farmers.

Authors

• Alistair Harkness, Federation University Australia

• Jo-ann Larkins, Federation University Australia