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Australasian Police Multicultural Advisory Bureau
Promoting Harmonious Police/Multicultural Community Relations in Australasia |
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NewsAugust 2000 Across State Lines: VictoriaMulticultural Liaison Unit In New Region Proves SuccessfulThe unique Multicultural Liaison Unit was established late in 1998 in Broadmeadows, a heavily migrant populated area of Melbourne's North West. It's establishment was due to a combination of factors:
It has not taken long for the Unit to establish a reputation as a credible performer. Its services and expertise are frequently sought by other police sections within the Region. The staff of the Unit are dedicated members carefully selected for their understanding and knowledge of immigration and ethnic affairs, multiculturalism and settlement issues. Usually staffed by one of two members seconded from each metropolitan division, who are supervised by the Local Priority Policing Inspector, the members' work is guided by the following mission statement.
During its relatively short operational life, the Unit can boast some remarkable achievements. For example, its work carried out in partnership with local religious leaders to assist with a group of Samoan youth behaving antisocially due to inhalant abuse attracted recognition by the State Government through a Vicsafe Award. The Unit was instrumental in setting up a crime prevention program targetting ethnic communities, and the establishment of a North Western Multicultural Communities & Police Advisory Committee. The involvement of the Unit with the Horn of Africa communities is particularly valuable in terms of successful settlement of these communities in their new environment. Considerable time is also devoted to NESB young people and the Unit has organised several sporting events with different groups such as Somali and Samoan youth. Inspector Gerald Zammit wishing the Somali soccer team all the best
Another aspect of the Unit's operation is the provision of cross cultural awareness training for police in Region 3. The sessions conducted helped clear-up misconceptions about specific cultural groups and equip operational police with understanding and awareness of cultures with which they interact on a daily basis. The Unit places great emphasis on consultation with communities as this is considered vital to successful program delivery in the Region. The Unit strives for excellence and provides both high level advice to Districts and Regional Command. New Name, Same Aim: Footscray Unit Helps CommunitiesTen years have passed since the establishment of the Footscray Police Multicultural Liaison Unit. What started as an experiment involving partnerships between Footscray Police, Footscray Council and the Vietnamese Community in 1990, when the Footscray Council/Police Ethnic Unit was established to combat the rise of crime, has developed into a very successful police facility held in high regard by ethnic communities. Although the name of the Unit has changed and its charter is more proactive compared to the operation of the old Unit, the objectives remain basically the same. The Unit aims to develop long lasting positive relations with local ethnic communities and improve the quality of life for members of the Footscray community. Creation of an environment conducive to good communication between police and ethnic communities is considered an important condition for achieving harmonious relations. Members of the Unit perform several proactive roles including Police School Involvement Program, Station Youth Officer, Neighbourhood Watch and Community Education and Information programs. They are visible in the community and their services are frequently sought by members of ethnic communities. The members of the Unit are especially attuned to community needs and listen emphatically to any concerns raised. The general popularity of the Unit is reflected by the number of people attending the talks which members of the Unit give periodically on issues of interest and concern to ethnic communities. Through its close involvement with ethnic young people the Unit builds trust with newly arrived migrants and refugees. Over the years the Footscray Police Multicultural Liaison Unit has developed into a mature and credible player in police/ethnic affairs. The name of the Unit might have changed but the aims remain the same. Victoria Police Multicultural Media Monitor ProjectVictoria Police is committed to providing a professional service to all members of the diverse communities it serves. The Victoria Police Multicultural Media Monitor Project is one of the strategies employed which helps police achieve that aim. By monitoring the media we know when our programs and initiatives are covered by the ethnic press and what the media responses are to particular policing issues. Most importantly, the media informs us about community concerns. If their policing needs are not being met, we can look at ways of tackling the issue together with the ethnic community concerned. The government's policy on multiculturalism affirms that all Australian residents, irrespective of ethnic origin, race, gender or knowledge of English, should have equal rights and opportunities. However, the access of some Australians from non-English speaking backgrounds to the country's political and social systems is hindered by the language barrier, and to some extent by cultural differences. Access to information in English alone is often not very useful or effective for citizens of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Those who are not confident in English rely heavily on the ethnic press for information on laws and citizens' rights and responsibilities. In the report "Media and Immigrant Settlement" a survey of 518 people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in Sydney and Melbourne indicated that one of the main reasons for ethnic newspapers was the provision of information on government services and notices on policy changes. Even for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds with a proficiency in English, ethnic newspapers are often a more important source of information about community welfare services than mainstream English media. The Media and Settlement Survey and Report (1980) found that 90% of Vietnamese migrants over the age of sixty have a limited proficiency in English. Locally produced newspapers would be essential in reaching such an audience. Some people may ask why police need to be aware of issues contained in ethnic newspapers? Policing is one area of concern to migrants. Some migrants have misconceptions on the role of police in Australia, and that negative view can be magnified if the information in the media is distorted or inaccurate. One of the many roles of the Victoria Police Media Unit is to disseminate accurate information on police activities to the media, ensuring that Victoria Police is portrayed in a positive and factually correct manner. In order to gain maximum benefit from the ethnic media, the Victoria Police Multicultural Unit initiated a joint project with the Victoria Police Media Unit called the "Victoria Police Multicultural Media Monitor Project" (MMMP). The project started in 1997 with five major ethnic print media: Chinese, Italian, Greek, Turkish and Vietnamese ethnic newspapers The project operates as follows:
Victoria Police benefits greatly from the information provided by the members attached to the Multicultural Media Monitoring Project. The police need to be aware of concerns or issues in ethnic communities if they are to address those issues adequately. The Multicultural Media Monitoring Project has proven to be highly successful in doing this and will continue and be further enhanced over time. Pacmac Still Going Strong After 23 YearsCommittees can work effectively even after 23 years! That was the message which we received from Victoria where the Police and Community Multicultural Committee (PACMAC) has been serving the needs of Victoria's ethnic community and police for almost a quarter of a century, since 1977. Not only could this long history qualify PACMAC for entry in the Guiness Book of Records but the Committee remains highly effective to this day. This is in no small measure due to the unflagging commitment of individual members and skillful chairing of monthly meetings by two alternating co-chairpersons, Mr. Hass Dellal OAM, Commissioner, Victorian Multicultural Commission, and Chief Inspector John Winther, Officer in Charge, Community Advisory Unit, Victoria Police. PACMAC's significant impact on police/ethnic relations in Victoria is well documented. Comprised of representatives from key sections of Victoria Police appointed by the Chief Commissioner, representatives of the Victoria Community appointed by Chairman of the Victorian Multicultural Commission, and Executive Director of the National Police Ethnic Advisory Bureau, PACMAC provides an ideal forum for discussion and deliberation of issues relevant to police and ethnic relations. It is essentially a proactive forum spearheading consultation on a range of issues, communicating solutions and achievements and providing advice on strategic measures and education processes. PACMAC's uniqueness is its ability to advance partnerships and enhance relations between police and community. As such, PACMAC served as a model for the establishment of similar bodies by other polcie jurisdictions in Australia. PACMAC has entered the new millennium with the release of its "Strategy Plan 2000 & Beyond" clearly outlining the key objectives in the four critical areas of consultation, communication, education and advice. The brochure also provides information on the background of PACMAC and generally sets the scene for further work of the Committee. Copies may be obtained from:
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