New South Wales Police Force And The Entire Australian Police Force

By Author: Henry Ford
Total Articles: 189
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The New South Wales police force and the entire Australian police force is a committed force that aims at reducing and preventing crime. The concerns of the citizens are always at our hearts in whatever activity that we do in our field of operations. I know there have been pressure of late especially from human rights groups and civil liberties organizations regarding our roles in policing socially disadvantaged groups but I am here as the new commissioner of New South Wales to alleviate any misgivings and address all the grievances that have been brought forth. By the end of this press release, I believe I will have given an assurance to the citizens of New South Wales on the commitment, concern and the methods of the police force in combating crime.
I know there are a lot of challenges on my part with regard to changing the perception and views of the citizens of New South Wales concerning the actions, activities and conduct of the police to the public in general and to the socially disadvantaged in particular. There are concerns that the police attitude towards the socially disadvantaged is inhumane. I am also aware ...
... of the statistics that show that indigenous people are 11 times more likely to be imprisoned and that there is an increase in the incarceration of the mentally handicapped (NSWCCL, 2008).

The concerns being raised by the human rights groups and civil liberties are mainly concerned with the immigrants and young people among others. The immigrants are viewed suspiciously, harassed and sometimes tormented by the police force. This is because they are viewed as foreigners who are in Australia illegally. Also most of them are regarded as criminals and as terrorists. These groups are concerned that police target young people indiscriminately because of lack of respect, being rowdy, being part of the raving culture or in simple terms, for being young and being out there in the public. These groups are concerned that the police arrests occur in public areas where there are many young people and in entertainment centers such as clubs, cinemas and beaches. The harassment of the young people, according to the human rights groups involve being stopped by the police, being searched, being harassed and then told to move on. All this occurs at no apparent reason. Their main concern is that police harassment and intervention is a daily occurrence in the life of the young people (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2009). I believe the concern about young people is not how they are viewed by the police but by how they are viewed by the public. The public at large is the one perceiving young people especially non English speaking young males as a threat to national security. This is what has prompted the police to act on them. Our actions towards them are professional and have no discrimination towards the young people of any race or nationality. I know there has been a bad and difficult relationship between the police and young people. The concerns being raised by these groups are that police do not treat young people with respect. The statistics from the study also showed that these young people do not complain about police abuse as do adults (Bureau of Crime Statistics & Research, 2010).

But I cannot do much if the young people do not come forward and complain about police abuse.
As a new commissioner I will put in more efforts and make attempts to improve on the relationship between police. Some of the attempts that I have listed and which should be implemented soon include the enhancement, implementation and improvement of the police youth policy. I will ensure that the police force implement the spirit and principles of this policy. I will ensure through all the means necessary that the police force is committed strongly to developing a good positive relationship with the young people of New South Wales. The police will recognize the differences that exist in young people in terms of age, gender, preferences, and culture and therefore will know how to handle these young people amidst the differences. With this regard, I will set up a counseling department that will aim at teaching and counseling police officers on how to handle young people.

The Australian police force ensures that the police use the discretion on how to use their powers when dealing with young people in an appropriate, fair and professional manner.
While doing all this, it aims at encouraging young people to be responsible for their behaviors, avoid offensive behaviors and comply with all legal requirements (NSW Government, 2009). The young people should also understand the impact they inflict from bad behaviors onto their victims, their family, and the country and also onto themselves. But we as the police, we will not relent on arresting and prosecuting any young man who has been involved in crime. Young, violent criminals will be prosecuted through our judicial system to rid the community off criminals and reduce the impact of juvenile crime in our community.
We as the police will take an active role in educating the community and the young people in particular about the duties, roles and responsibilities of the police. I believe this will eradicate any conflict and remove the bad blood between the police and the young people. Also I will take a step further and address all the issues and grievances affecting the young people and also educate them on their roles in the society. Where young people are victims of crime, we as the police will ensure that they are well taken care of with their issues being relevantly addressed and they will be given referrals to the appropriate agencies and services.

I believe by doing this, I will be giving the police force a clear and strategic way of dealing with young people appropriately. Also this strategy will aim at reducing youth crime, preventing youth crime, diverting young people from crime, building good relationship between the policy and the young people and enhancing an effective relationship that will reduce crime from our community in general. Also this will aim at improving police professionalism, ethics and integrity (ANZPAA, 2009).
I want to assure all the citizens of this country that there are major reforms in the Australian police force and in deed this police force is changing. Some of these major changes include the augmentation of the force by volunteer police Constables and highly trained community Support officers. These together with the regular officers and staff are working closely with the public in fighting crime (Home Office, 2010).

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