Rate My Professor Ross Hendy

Dr. Ross Hendy is a Lecturer in Criminology in the School of Social Sciences at Monash University. He earned his PhD in Criminology from the University of Cambridge in 2019, an MSS in Strategic Studies from Victoria University of Wellington in 2012, a Diploma in Police Workplace Practice from the Royal New Zealand Police College in 2008, and a BMus in Music Composition from Victoria University of Wellington in 1995. Prior to his academic career, Hendy served as a sergeant with the New Zealand Police. He has been at Monash University since 2014, holding various leadership roles including Criminology HDR Coordinator (2020–2022/24), Criminology Major Coordinator (2022–2023), Criminology Research Impact and Engagement Coordinator (2025), and Director of the Bachelor of Criminology and Policing (2026–present). He currently serves as a Board Member of the Professional Standards Division, Police Registration and Services Board (2023–present), and as Policing Thematic Group Executive Counsellor for the Australia and New Zealand Society of Criminology (2022–2024). Hendy is also a member of the Monash Human Research Ethics Committee (2023–2026).

Hendy’s research focuses on police and policing, including practitioner behaviour, the effectiveness of police interventions, police use of force during police-citizen interactions, police use of firearms and weapons, deaths or injuries in police custody, comparative police practices across countries such as Australia, England & Wales, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, and Sweden, and evidence-based policing. He employs mixed-method research incorporating qualitative, ethnographic methods, applied evaluation, and evidence-based approaches. Key publications include “Routinely armed and unarmed police: What can the Scandinavian experience teach us?” (Policing, 2014), “Police sergeants and disaster management during Australia’s Black Summer bushfire crisis” (Policing and Society, 2025), “Deaths during police apprehension and in police custodial detention” (Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 2024), “Drivers’ long-term crash risks associated with being ticketed for speeding” (Journal of Safety Research, 2024), and the “Lethal Force Monitor - Australia Country Report” (Open Society Foundation, 2024). His awards include a British Academy Visiting Fellowship (2023) and Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (2021). Hendy teaches courses such as ATS2458 Policing, ATS3941 Police leadership and professional practice, and ATS3945 Contemporary issues in policing practice, supervises PhD students on topics like police use of force and comparative policing, and contributes to media commentary and policy through expert roles and projects like the Lethal Force Monitor.