Grant to assist study of New Zealand Police in peacekeeping

Callum Martin, who is undertaking a Masters Degree within the School of Government at Victoria University of Wellington, is the latest recipient of the Asia:NZ International Relations grant.

Callum’s thesis is entitled New Zealand’s Expeditionary Police: the Expanding Role of the New Zealand Police in International Relations. “The thesis proposes to assess and evaluate the impact of the community policing activities being carried out by the New Zealand police serving in Timor-Leste and Solomon Islands,” Callum outlines.

The grant will enable Callum to undertake field research in both Dili and Honiara. “I will observe how the police are implementing their community policing model and speak with relevant officials and residents.”

A focus of his research is on the community policing emphasis the New Zealand police have brought to these operations. “It enquires how this has been linked into the broader issues of conflict resolution and security sector reform.”

The inspiration for Callum’s thesis flows from undergraduate and honours study he undertook on international policing. That research saw him in Timor-Leste in 2006 observing the workings of the United Nations policing efforts.

“In the past decade both nations have received extensive foreign assistance and attention, although community policing has been often overlooked by academics and pundits,” Callum says.

“As a result of those projects I identified a gap in the literature on post-conflict community policing.”

The past decade has seen a rapid growth of international policing roles within post-conflict security sector reform, Callum explains. “The seminal Brahimi report paved the way for a rapid increase in the numbers, duties and authority granted to civilian police in international missions.” 

“Leading into the new century New Zealand began to take on this request for enhanced civilian police involvement in peace operations,” he continues.

Callum’s thesis will be a documented account of post-conflict community policing and an analysis on how this compliments the wider activities of security sector reform. His honours research will be presented this June at the Oceanic Conference on International Studies in Auckland in a panel on international policing chaired by Dr Beth Greener of Massey University.

Photos:

1) UNMIT Police substation, Timor-Leste, sourced on Wikimedia Commons

2) Callum Martin