Rawshan Sadia Afroze is the PhD Candidate of School of Social Science. She is doing her PhD research on Criminology under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Adrian Cherney. Her research will focus on community engagement in countering violent extremism under Bangladesh context.

Funding: UQ Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship

Advisors: Associate Professor Adrian Cherney, Sr. Lecturer Suzanna Fay-Ramirez

Thesis Title: Community Engagement in Countering Violent Extremism: The Bangladesh Experience

Start: Jan 2018

Abstract: Bangladesh has been facing a significant rise of violent extremism and terrorism in the recent years despite the increase of drastic law enforcement measures which poses significant challenges to the law enforcers. It has prompted to pay attention to the need of a sophisticated understanding between the police and the communities especially the religious and secular groups to build trust among them and to increase social cohesion. This research aims at identifying the role of communities in countering violent extremism (CVE) in Bangladesh with arguing that, a united and resilient community can reduce its threat. It will investigate whether Bangladesh Police apprehend the community policing philosophy in its CVE practices and examine whether the country needs a new CVE policing model that will accommodate the cultural and religious factors between secular and Islamist and counteract extremist beliefs within certain sections of the society. The study will undertake both a qualitative and quantitative analysis using interviews, focus group discussions and questionnaires.

Qualfications

Double Masters in Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism with International Security Studies, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.

Master of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Experience

Afroze is the sessional academic of the School of Social Science, University of Queensland and the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Griffith University, Australia. She has 4 years of teaching experience at Police Staff College Bangladesh.  

She has been serving in Bangladesh Police for more than 13 years and currently holds the position of the Superintendent of Police. Throughout her career, she served almost entirely in the police academic arenas - Police Staff College Bangladesh where she provided training and academic lectures to the mid to senior level police officers in their training and graduate degree programs.

During her professional career in Bangladesh, she exhibited some exemplary performances. She worked closely with Macquarie University Australia and the Australian High Commission Bangladesh on the potential collaborations between Macquarie University and the Police Staff College Bangladesh (PSC), which brought two landmark successes for PSC: 1. Funding from DFAT under Australia Awards Fellowships Round 16 for 15 Bangladesh Police officials to attend a three-week long training program on countering violent extremism at Macquarie University, Sydney and 2. Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the two which covers a range of academic arenas.  

She received the Bangladesh Women Police Award 2017 in the category of 'Excellence in Service' for her contribution to strengthen Bangladesh Police in the arena of training, academics and research. 

Research Interests

  • Criminology Theories
  • Criminal Psychology
  • Terrorism Studies/ Counter Terrorism
  • Preventive Criminology
  • Feminist Criminology
  • Comparative Criminal justice
  • Intelligence in Crime Control 
  • International Security

Publications

Afroze, RS, ‘Modernization and policing in South Asia: the case of Bangladesh with particular reference to women in policing’, in Shahidullah SM edited, ‘Crime, criminal justice and the evolving science of criminology in South Asia: India, Pakistan and Bangladesh’, Palgrave Macmillan, England, 2017, pp. 247-271.  

Afroze, RS, ‘Cyber domain in the criminal environment: prospects and challenges’, PSC Journal, vol. 4, no. 2, 2017, pp. 44-55.

Afroze, RS, 'Internal migration and economic growth: Bangladesh context', PSC Journal, vol. 4, no. 1, 2017, pp. 17-28.

Afroze, RS, ‘Social bond and delinquency: A case study of street children in Dhaka city’, PSC Journal, vol. 2, no. 2, October 2015, pp. 11-35.

Afroze, RS, ‘Examining Students’ Perceptions on Policing in Criminology and Non-Criminology Courses: A Comparative Study’, Accepted, The South Asian Journal of Social Sciences.

Afroze, RS, ‘Women empowerment in Bangladesh: a tale of success’, Women Police: International Association of Women Police, May-Jul 2016, pp. 26 and PICT Association Quarterly Magazine, Macquarie University, Sydney, issue 2, Jan-Mar 2016, pp. 10-14.

Web link:

https://www.studyinaustralia.gov.au/student-stories/rawshan-sadia-bangladesh

https://www.facebook.com/AusHCBangladesh/videos/1181816738585402/?hc_ref=ARSQv3wOTp13LA0DKZN0T6K_88bQZZLaQsmFEKD6-4vF9r0l5GrAKTwGQ0wH3VN90gw