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Excellence award in criminology research goes to top policewoman

14 November 2007

Inspector Tess Walsh has been given an award by Monash for excellence in research.

There were no forensic teams, no star witnesses and no search warrants. But Inspector Tess Walsh (MEd 2007) of Victoria Police has managed to complete a major investigation and win a prestigious award in the process.

Inspector Walsh beat a field of academics and researchers to win the Monash University Criminology Excellence in Research on Improving Policing for Women award.

It was presented to her at the 2007 Australasian Council of Women and Policing's Excellence in Policing awards.

The former homicide investigator's exhaustive thesis, Women Who Kill: an examination of women convicted of murder and manslaughter in Victoria between 1991 and 2000, has become an important text on crime prevention and has received the highest praise from her colleagues in the force.

With a 20-year career in policing, Inspector Walsh found that academic research presented different challenges to the investigative work she was used to.

A myriad of ethics proposals for interviewing subjects wasn't routine for someone who has served as a crime detective. Inspector Walsh acknowledged the support of the Faculty of Education at Monash and her supervisor, Dr Zane Ma Rhea, in helping her to understand the mark of quality research.

"It's a credit to the faculty and Zane for bringing the best out in me and to a level I never thought I could reach," she said.

Dr Ma Rhea said Inspector Walsh was a "shining example" of the significant association between Monash and Victoria Police.

"Victoria Police and the Faculty of Education have been involved in a very successful collaborative learning partnership over the past few years. A number of Victoria Police staff have been undertaking both coursework and research Masters," Dr Ma Rhea said.

"We congratulate Inspector Walsh on graduating and receiving the research award of which she is most deserving. We are proud of our partnership with Victoria Police and what has been achieved."