Matthew John Minehan

I was happy to present alongside Dr Hannah Maslen at the March 2026 Monthly Seminar of The University of Melbourne Law School's Health Law and Ethics Network. The topic was 'Healthcare and Policing: Different Tools in the Same Toolbox?'

https://law.unimelb.edu.au/centres/hlen/events/monthly-seminars/2026-monthly-seminars

Research @ Melbourne Law School Health Care and Policing: Different Tools in the Same Toolbox?

Churchill Fellowship Report

A year has now passed since I commenced my Churchill Fellowship travel, and I remain grateful for the assistance I received from police employees, academics and museum staff across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

People rarely become police officers with the intention of engaging in misconduct, yet organisational culture, peer influence, and individual vulnerabilities can increase the risk of unethical behaviour. As well as harming people who police officers are sworn to protect, police misconduct destroys careers, reduces morale, and wastes valuable public resources. It also results in police agencies losing legitimacy in the eyes of the public.

My report, which is now available from the Winston Churchill Trust website, examines the causes of police misconduct and what can be done from an education and training perspective to prevent it.

https://www.churchilltrust.com.au/fellow/matthew--minehan-nsw-2020/





Museum of Tolerance
LAPD Headquarters
Ventura County Sheriff's Office
New Orleans Police Department
Georgetown University
Washington Metropolitan Police Dept.
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
NYPD
London Police Service - Canada
Toronto Police Service
Police Service of Northern Ireland
Metropolitan Police Service
College of Policing
Winston Churchill Trust - AU

This post is a little late, but thank you to the John Jay College of Criminal Justice for recently hosting me as a Visiting Scholar researching police ethics training. It was great to spend time with their highly experienced academics, including Jonathan Jacobs and Maki Haberfeld.

It was also lovely to explore the City of New York.

CHURCHILL FELLOWSHIP WEEK 8

The final week of my Winston Churchill Trust - AU Fellowship was hosted by London’s Metropolitan Police (the Met). During the week, I participated in a comprehensive series of meetings coordinated by Inspector Ben Smith, the Met’s Organisational Learning and Ethics Manager.

My visit to the Met was particularly timely, given the recent release of Baroness Casey’s Interim Report on Misconduct, as well as a report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (‘An inspection of vetting, misconduct, and misogyny in the police service’.).

Highlights of the week included:

- Spending four days at New Scotland Yard.

- Learning about the Met’s ‘Learning Through Reflection’ process and the ‘Dilemma of the Month’ project (which encourages staff to think through ethical issues).

- Visiting the College of Policing and meeting Marcus Griffiths (policing standards manager for ethics) to learn about the current review of the Code of Ethics (which applies to all police in England and Wales).

- Meeting with staff from the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

- Meeting with staff from the Casey review team.

- Learning about Police Ethics Committees from Mike Stamp, the Director of Legal, Reputation and Risk at Devon and Cornwall Police.

- Visiting the Crime Museum and learning about the Met’s major investigations throughout history, including the Jack the Ripper investigation.

- Meeting with Dan Tiller and learning about his research into police ethics training.

- Attending the Met Contact Centre (call processing and despatch centre) to learn about the THRIVE+ decision making tool.

- Visiting the Met’s Specialist Training Centre and learning how police leaders factor ethics into their decision making during public order incidents.

Next stop: Sydney, Australia.

CHURCHILL FELLOWSHIP WEEK 7

The seventh (and penultimate) week of my Winston Churchill Trust - AU fellowship was spent with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

During meetings with staff from the Professional Standards Department and the Police College, I learnt about the misconduct risks facing the PSNI, their procedures for managing and investigating misconduct, and the training delivered to new recruits and probationary officers. I was particularly interested to learn about the training partnership with Ulster University.

During my time with the PSNI, I also learnt about the history of policing in Northern Ireland, the replacement of the Royal Ulster Constabulary with the PSNI, and the legacy of the Troubles (something that is hard for those of us who didn’t live through it to understand).

Other highlights included:

- Meeting with staff from the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, and learning about their role in investigating police misconduct and also in recommending improvements in policies, procedures and training.

- Visiting Londonderry / Derry, and seeing quotes on the Peace Wall in which local women discussed long-standing attitudes towards police officers.

- Visiting the Memorial Garden at Police Headquarters, which honours the staggering number of Northern Ireland police officers who have lost their lives as a result of their duties.

- Visiting the Police Museum at PSNI Headquarters.

Next (and final) stop: London, U.K.

CHURCHILL FELLOWSHIP WEEK 6

The sixth week of my Winston Churchill Trust - AU Fellowship was kindly hosted by the Toronto Police Service, Canada 🇨🇦. The week had many highlights, including:

- Meeting with Staff Superintendent Peter Code, head of Professionalism and Accountability and discussing the misconduct challenges faced by his agency.

- Meeting with various Professional Standards specialists and learning how they investigate and handle misconduct allegations.

- Learning about the Toronto Police Service’s advanced Early Intervention System for preventing misconduct.

- Visiting the Equity, Inclusion and Human Rights Unit and meeting with Senior Advisor Laura Flyer and her colleagues.

- Touring the Toronto Police College, and discussing ethical decision-making models and active bystandership training for recruits.

- Visiting the Toronto police Museum & Discovery Centre.

Finally, as a special treat, my visit finished with a trip to the Marine Unit 🛥, the Mounted Unit 🐴 and the Police Dog Services 🐶.

Next stop: Belfast, Northern Ireland.

CHURCHILL FELLOWSHIP WEEK 5

The fifth week of my Winston Churchill Trust - AU Fellowship was hosted by the London Police Service in Canada. I was very well looked after, was given access to senior executive meetings, and was even allocated an office down the hallway from Chief Steve Williams.

It was instructional to speak with senior staff about professional standards, human resources, training and other key issues - all of which impact on misconduct and (crucially) on staff wellbeing.

Two highlights for me were my lengthy discussions with Chief Steve Williams and an evening ride along, where I witnessed firsthand the professionalism of the London Police Service.

It was also a beautiful time of year to visit London, with the leaves turning diverse shades of red, orange and yellow in preparation for winter.

Next stop: Toronto.

CHURCHILL FELLOWSHIP WEEK 4

The fourth week of my Winston Churchill Trust - AU Fellowship was spent in New York City, learning about the challenges and opportunities facing the New York City Police Department (NYPD).

Highlights included:

* Delivering a guest lecture on ethics to NYPD students at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The Ethics in Policing subject forms part of the College’s NYPD Leadership Program, which provides fully funded further education to NYPD officers.

* A personal tour of the NYPD Headquarters at 1 Police Plaza.

* Discussing law enforcement ethics with Professor Jonathan Jacobs, Director of the Institute for Criminal Justice Ethics.

* Discussing police ethics training (and the importance of recruitment) with Professor Maki Haberfeld, Academic Director of John Jay College’s NYPD Police Studies Program.

Overall, I learnt how high recruitment standards, good education and fair supervision all contribute to an ethical police agency.

Next stop: London, Canada.

CHURCHILL FELLOWSHIP WEEK 3

This week I had the pleasure of visiting both the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in Washington, D.C., and the Georgetown University Law School. I was particularly interested in seeing how the two work together to deliver first class police education.

In particular, I learnt about two pioneering education programmes:

* Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE)

Georgetown Law runs the ABLE Project, a growing initiative that currently delivers active bystandership training to 280 law enforcement agencies across the United States. This training gives police officers the skills to intervene to prevent their colleagues from causing or suffering harm.

I was lucky to observe a recruit class receive a full day of ABLE training at the MPD Academy.

* The Police for Tomorrow Fellowship

During the 18 month fellowships, Georgetown Law provides education to selected MPD officers, tackling important issues such as use of force, bias and racism. In addition, participants work on a capstone project to improve the connection between the police and the community.

Thanks to the MPD for hosting my visit. Thanks also to the following Georgetown Law staff: Talhia Tuck, Lisa A. Kurtz, and Declan Sullivan.

I should add: Washington is a beautiful city for sightseeing!

Next stop: New York.

Winston Churchill Trust - AU

CHURCHILL FELLOWSHIP WEEK 2

The second week of my Winston Churchill Trust - AU Fellowship was kindly hosted by the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD).

As well as speaking with senior NOPD staff about a range of issues affecting the policing profession, I learnt about the agency’s pioneering training called EPIC - or Ethical Policing is Courageous. I was particularly fortunate to observe a class of NOPD officers undertaking EPIC refresher training.

EPIC teaches police officers to be active bystanders, and gives them the skills to intervene to prevent both unethical behaviour and innocent mistakes. It also helps them ensure that their colleagues are holistically well.

Active bystandership training has been so successful in New Orleans that it is now being implemented across the country.

Next stop: Washington, D.C.

CHURCHILL FELLOWSHIP WEEK 1

I have just finished the first week of my Winston Churchill Trust - AU Fellowship, researching police ethics and misconduct prevention training in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. This week, I was hosted by the Los Angeles Police Department, who kindly made their staff and facilities available to me.

Among many other appointments, I visited:

- The LAPD Academy.
- The Professional Standards Bureau.
- The Major Crimes Division.

I was fortunate to speak to senior staff, sit in on training, and learn about the challenges faced by the LAPD.

I also spent a day at the Museum of Tolerance, which has a training partnership with many nearby law enforcement agencies. I was lucky enough to join an academy class from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. After teaching us about N**i atrocities, Museum staff led us in a discussion on law enforcement values and ethics. At the end of the day, we were spoken to by a Holocaust survivor.

The week has left me with new knowledge and ideas.

Next stop: New Orleans.