Auckland University of Technology

Faculty Member, Social Sciences

Senior Lecturer

About

BSc Psychology, University of Wales, Bangor
MA Criminology, University of Wales, Bangor
PhD, University of Wales, Bangor

Research Summary

John Buttle gained his Ph.D. in Criminology from the Centre for Comparative Criminology and Criminal Justice in the School of Social Sciences at the University of Wales, Bangor in the United Kingdom. His thesis is entitled “The Shift from Defensive to Offensive Policing: CS spray and the Use of Force”. John’s current research interests revolve around police reform in New Zealand and Indonesia, examining what is known about rural crime and policing, gaining greater understanding of police legitimacy as well as systems of police accountability, and examining the public perception of crime and the police. John has published in reputable academic journals, written chapters for books and he often attends international conferences.  He has produced reports for the New Zealand Police, the Ministry of Justice and the National Assembly for Wales. Local politicians, the police and human rights organisations have sought his advice on matters of policy and criminal justice reform John is regularly interviewed by the media and actively engages in public debates on the future of criminal justice in New Zealand.

Current Research Projects

I am currently focusing my research on a number of distinct areas and have a number of collaborations with colleagues that will result in future publications.  I’m investigating the effect that controversial incidents have on public trust in the police. I’m involved with a comparative project that examines how independent New Zealand’s police complaints process is after recent reforms,  With colleagues, I’ve secured funding for research on policing in Indonesia. I’m writing groundbreaking articles about policing in rural New Zealand.