Understanding Youth Assaults of Police Officers in Australia
A Power Threat Meaning Framework Analysis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11228249 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Dimitra Lattas (0000-0003-3229-3728, Social Work University of Sunshine Coast Queensland Australia, corresponding author), Kelly Hine (0000-0003-2497-2069, Criminology University of Sunshine Coast Queensland Australia), Catherine Creamer (0000-0002-7189-9637, Counselling University of Sunshine Coast Queensland Australia), Kelley Burton (0000-0002-7887-4678, Law University of Sunshine Coast Queensland Australia), Katelyn Davenport‐klunder (0000-0002-9505-8533, Criminology University of Sunshine Coast Queensland Australia) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 61 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 150-162 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Australian Journal of Social Issues (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0157-6321 • E-ISSN: 1839-4655 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/ajs4.70032 |
| OpenAlex | W4411236554 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 32 |
This study explores youth violence towards police officers in Australia through the Power Threat Meaning Framework to better understand the underlying factors contributing to such violence; focusing on power dynamics, childhood adversity, and trauma. It examines power dynamics in past and present circumstances and the function of violent behaviours in these encounters. To do this, a content analysis was conducted using court findings and coroner reports of all Australian cases where a person aged 12–24 was found guilty of assaulting a police officer between 2010 and 2023, yielding 40 cases. Six key themes were examined: Power, Threat, Meaning, Exacerbating Factors, and Threat Responses and Functions of Threat Responses . The findings show that young people who assaulted police had substantial disempowerment across the life course, with disrupted attachments, childhood maltreatment, institutional mistrust, and social disadvantage. In the sample, violence predominantly functioned to reclaim a sense of control and power in situations when the young person was confined, unsafe, or disempowered. It is recommended that the pathway to safer interactions between youth and police requires awareness training and policy responses that understand the underlying factors and power imbalance that contribute to and exacerbate negative relations between police officers and young people
Criminology · Meaning (existential · Political science · Power (physics · Project commissioning · Public relations · Publishing · Sociology · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression · Gun Ownership and Violence Research · Law · Policing Practices and Perceptions · Psychology
Police perceptions of young people
Content Analysis
Offending behaviour and mental ill-health among young people
The current nature of police officer fatalities in Australia and opportunities for prevention
Evaluation of a police training on de-escalation with trauma-exposed youth
Predicting Officer Physical Assaults at Domestic Assault Calls
Forensic Social Work in Australian Undergraduate Social Work Education
Trauma and violent offending among adolescents
Beliefs about Causes of Schizophrenia among Police Officers Before and After Crisis Intervention Team Training
Mental Health Caregivers’ Experiences From the Perspective of the Power Threat Meaning Framework
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |