Tim Cubitt

School of Social Sciences

Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics


Timothy Cubitt (Ph.D.) is an Associate Professor of Criminology at The University of Adelaide. Tim's research focuses on child sexual exploitation, police misconduct, radicalisation and violent extremism. Prior to The University of Adelaide, Tim worked for the New South Wales Police Force, and the Australian Institute of Criminology.

Tim's research into child sexual exploitation has investigated the dynamics of online abuse, including live streaming of child sexual abuse, sexual extortion among adolescents, and the use of artificial intelligence in both perpetrating and combating these crimes. More recently his work has examined sexual offenders on the darknet.

In relation to police misconduct, his recent research includes the application of machine learning and network analytics to identify patterns of serious misconduct within law enforcement agencies across the world. Recent studies have examined typologies of officers who commit misconduct across 3 countries, gender differences in serious police misconduct, and the effectiveness of vetting processes in identifying high-risk officers. He has consulted to agencies across Australia, the UK and USA on measuring police misconduct and officer risk.

Regarding radicalisation and violent extremism, Tim's research has explored the vulnerability to radicalisation during the COVID-19 timeframe, the influence of conspiracy theories, and the role of online domains in radicalisation. Recent studies have focused on changes to the prevalence and ways in which extremist content is engaged with online.

A/Prof Cubitt is available to supervise HDR students with interests in the fields of policing, technologically facilitated victimisation and perpetration among young people, radicalisation and violent extremism.

  • Journals

    Year Citation
    2025 Cubitt, T. I. C., & Gaub, J. E. (2025). Characteristics of Serious Police Misconduct: Discerning Typologies in Three Agencies. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 52(8), 1260-1278.
    DOI
    2025 Mathews, B., Walsh, K., Finkelhor, D., Parvin, K., Burton, M., Nicholas, M., . . . Flynn, A. (2025). Disclosure of online child sexual victimisation: Findings from the Australian Child Maltreatment Study. Child Abuse & Neglect, 165, 107493.
    DOI
    2025 Walsh, K., Mathews, B., Parvin, K., Smith, R., Burton, M., Nicholas, M., . . . Tran, N. (2025). Prevalence and characteristics of online child sexual victimization: Findings from the Australian Child Maltreatment Study. Child Abuse & Neglect, 160, 107186.
    DOI Scopus2 Europe PMC2
    2025 Mathews, B., Hegarty, K., Macmillan, H., Madzoska, M., Erskine, H., Pacella, R., . . . Cubitt, T. (2025). The prevalence of intimate partner violence in Australia: a national survey. Medical Journal of Australia, 222(9), 440-448.
    DOI Scopus1 Europe PMC1
    2025 Frederick, A., Connealy, N. T., & Cubitt, T. (2025). Safe consumption sites and crime: A staggered synthetic control evaluation of Toronto’s expanding safe consumption site network. Journal of Experimental Criminology.
    DOI
    2025 Wolbers, H., Cubitt, T., Napier, S., Cahill, M., Nicholas, M., Burton, M., & Giunta, K. (2025). Sexual extortion of Australian adolescents: Results from a national survey. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, (712), 1-25.
    DOI
    2025 Wolbers, H., Cubitt, T., Carter, R., & Napier, S. (2025). The impacts of sexual extortion on minors: A systematic review. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, (710), 1-16.
    DOI Scopus1
    2025 Gaub, J. E., & Cubitt, T. I. C. (2025). Reforming the management of serious misconduct: a temporal analysis of the NYPD. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, 19.
    DOI
    2025 Wolbers, H., Cubitt, T., & Cahill, M. (2025). Artificial intelligence and child sexual abuse: A rapid evidence assessment. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, (711), 1-17.
    DOI Scopus2
    2025 Cubitt, T., Napier, S., & Brown, R. (2025). Financial risk indicators of child sexual abuse live streaming: A proof of concept prediction model. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, (718), 1-18.
    DOI
    2024 Cubitt, T., Morgan, A., & Brown, R. (2024). The overlap between viewing child sexual abuse material and fringe or radical content online. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, (708), 1-15.
    DOI
    2024 Cubitt, T., & Morgan, A. (2024). Exposure to and sharing of fringe or radical content online. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, (705), 1-16.
    DOI Scopus1
    2024 Wolbers, H., Cubitt, T., Cahill, M., Ball, M., Hancock, J., Napier, S., & Broadhurst, R. (2024). Drivers and deterrents of child sexual offending: Analysis of offender interactions on the darknet. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, (703), 1-16.
    DOI
    2024 Morgan, A., Cubitt, T., Voce, A., & Voce, I. (2024). An experimental study of support for protest causes and tactics and the influence of conspiratorial beliefs. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, (702), 1-23.
    DOI
    2024 Cubitt, T. (2024). Does prior misconduct predict drug use by police?. Policing and Society, 34(9), 895-912.
    DOI Scopus1
    2024 Bright, D., Sadewo, G. R. P., Lerner, J., Cubitt, T., Dowling, C., & Morgan, A. (2024). Investigating the Dynamics of Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Co-Offending Networks: The Utility of Relational Hyper Event Models. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 40(3), 445-487.
    DOI Scopus13
    2024 Teunissen, C., Cahill, M., Napier, S., Cubitt, T., Boxall, H., & Brown, R. (2024). Sexual exploitation of children on dating platforms and experiences of revictimisation as an adult. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, (697).
    DOI Scopus3
    2024 Cubitt, T., Morgan, A., & Voce, I. (2024). Grievances and conspiracy theories as motivators of anti-authority protests. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, (693), 1-16.
    DOI
    2024 Voce, A., Morgan, A., & Cubitt, T. (2024). Community perceptions of corruption by public officials. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, (687), 1-20.
    DOI
    2024 Bright, D., Sadewo, G., Cubitt, T. I. C., Dowling, C., & Morgan, A. (2024). Co-offending networks among members of outlaw motorcycle gangs across types of crime. Trends in Organized Crime, 27(3), 263-285.
    DOI Scopus6
    2024 Wolbers, H., Cubitt, T., & Morgan, A. (2024). Offense specialization among outlaw motorcycle gang members: Comparing specialization metrics. Journal of Criminal Justice, 95, 102296.
    DOI
    2023 Cubitt, T. I. C. (2023). Using Network Analytics to Improve Targeted Disruption of Police Misconduct. Police Quarterly, 26(1), 24-53.
    DOI Scopus9
    2023 Cubitt, T. I. C. (2023). The value of criminal history and police intelligence in vetting and selection of police. Crime Science, 12(1), 12 pages.
    DOI Scopus3
    2023 Cubitt, T. I. C., & Nix, J. (2023). A Multi-Site Study of Firearms Displays by Police at Use of Force Incidents. Police Quarterly, 26(3), 379-408.
    DOI Scopus5
    2023 Cubitt, T. I. C., Napier, S., & Brown, R. (2023). Understanding the Offline Criminal Behavior of Individuals Who Live Stream Child Sexual Abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 38(9-10), 6624-6649.
    DOI Scopus8
    2023 Wolbers, H., Dowling, C., Cubitt, T., & Kuhn, C. (2023). Understanding and preventing internet-facilitated radicalisation. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, (673).
    DOI Scopus4
    2023 Morgan, A., Cubitt, T., & Dowling, C. (2023). Outlaw motorcycle gangs and domestic violence. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, (670).
    DOI Scopus4
    2023 Cubitt, T., Dowling, C., & Morgan, A. (2023). Crime by outlaw motorcycle gang members during club conflicts. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, (667), 1-18.
    DOI Scopus2
    2022 Cubitt, T. I. C., Gaub, J. E., & Holtfreter, K. (2022). Gender differences in serious police misconduct: A machine-learning analysis of the New York Police Department (NYPD). Journal of Criminal Justice, 82, 101976-1-101976-13.
    DOI Scopus13
    2022 Cubitt, T., & Morgan, A. (2022). Predicting high-harm offending using machine learning: an application to outlaw motorcycle gangs. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, (646), 1-18.
    DOI Scopus6
    2021 Cubitt, T. (2021). Effective management of serious police misconduct: A machine learning analysis. TRENDS AND ISSUES IN CRIME AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE, (633), 1-15.
    DOI
    2021 Cubitt, T., Napier, S., & Brown, R. (2021). Predicting prolific live streaming of child sexual abuse. TRENDS AND ISSUES IN CRIME AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE, (634), 1-21.
    DOI
    2021 Boland, D., Morgan, A., Cubitt, T., & Voce, I. (2021). Effects of outlaw motorcycle gang membership and the support needs of former members. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, (614).
    DOI Scopus8
    2021 Cubitt, T. I. C., & Birch, P. (2021). A machine learning analysis of misconduct in the New York Police Department. Policing: An International Journal, 44(5), 800-817.
    DOI Scopus9
    2020 Cubitt, T., Wooden, K., Kruger, E., & Kennedy, M. (2020). A predictive model for serious police misconduct by variation of the theory of planned behaviour. Journal of Forensic Practice, 22(4), 251-263.
    DOI Scopus2
    2020 Cubitt, T. I. C., Wooden, K. R., & Roberts, K. A. (2020). A machine learning analysis of serious misconduct among Australian police. Crime Science, 9(1), 22-1-22-13.
    DOI Scopus21
    2018 Cubitt, T. I. C., & Judges, S. J. H. (2018). Show cause analysis: A qualitative assessment of the factors influencing police misconduct from the perspective of the officers who commit it. Policing, 41(6), 782-797.
    DOI Scopus7
    2017 Cubitt, T. I. C., Lesic, R., Myers, G. L., & Corry, R. (2017). Body-worn video: A systematic review of literature. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 50(3), 379-396.
    DOI Scopus52
    2016 Deacon, R. M., Nielsen, S., Leung, S., Rivas, G., Cubitt, T., Monds, L. A., . . . Lintzeris, N. (2016). Alprazolam use and related harm among opioid substitution treatment clients – 12 months follow up after regulatory rescheduling. International Journal of Drug Policy, 36, 104-111.
    DOI Scopus13 Europe PMC10
    - Morgan, A., Cubitt, T., & Voce, I. (n.d.). Participation in anti-authority protests and vulnerability to radicalisation.
    DOI
    - Cubitt, T., & Morgan, A. (n.d.). Predicting high-harm offending using national police information systems: an application to outlaw motorcycle gangs.
    DOI
  • Book Chapters

    Year Citation
    2024 Cubitt, T. I. C. (2024). Using financial transaction data to analyse, detect and disrupt technologically facilitated crime. In Crime Data Handbook (pp. 245-259). Bristol University Press.
    DOI
    2020 Morgan, A., Brown, R., Voce, I., & Cubitt, T. (2020). Organised and transnational crime. In Australian Policing (pp. 315-331). Routledge.
    DOI
  • Report for External Bodies

    Year Citation
    2023 Cubitt, T., & Wolbers, H. (2023). Review of violent extremism risk assessment tools in Division 104 control orders and Division 105A post-sentence orders. Australian Institute of Criminology.
    2015 Ezard, N., Dolan, K., Baldry, E., Burns, L., Day, C., Hodge, S., . . . Mackay, T. (2015). Feasibility of a Managed Alcohol Program (MAP) for Sydney’s homeless.
    - Cubitt, T., Morgan, A., Dowling, C., Bricknell, S., & Brown, R. (n.d.). Targeting fixated individuals to prevent intimate partner homicide: Proposing the Domestic Violence Threat Assessment Centre. Australian Institute of Criminology.
    DOI
  • Theses

    Year Citation
    2021 Cubitt, T. (2021). The risk assessment inventory: Assessing the future misconduct of operational police officers.

Dr. Cubitt currently coordinates CRIM3002 - Criminological Research

  • Other Supervision Activities

    Date Role Research Topic Location Program Supervision Type Student Load Student Name
    2024 - ongoing Co-Supervisor The influence of “bad apples” on police peer networks: A quasi-experimental study of prospective misconduct prevention methods University of Cambridge - Doctorate Part Time Morven Brown
    2023 - ongoing Co-Supervisor Deterring Police Misconduct: A randomised control trial of in-service strategies to reduce misconduct amongst officers with identified risk factors University of Cambridge - Doctorate Part Time Paul Tomlinson
    2022 - 2024 Co-Supervisor Forecasting police misconduct with Machine Learning University of Cambridge MSt in Applied Criminology and Police Management Master Part Time Morven Brown
  • Editorial Boards

    Date Role Editorial Board Name Institution Country
    2025 - ongoing Board Member Evidence Base: Criminal Justice Research, Policy & Action Taylor & Francis United Kingdom

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