WORKING WITH LOCAL ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES

NSW Ombudsman Audit of the implementation of the NSW Police Aboriginal Strategic Direction (2003 – 2006) Contents Abbreviations 1 / Foreword 2 / Introduction 3 / The Aboriginal Strategic Direction 3 / The key objectives of the Aboriginal Strategic Direction 3 / Our audits 4 / Building better relationships 5 / Formal consultation 5 / Engaging the right community people 5 / The need for consistent and senior police representation 6 / Taking a flexible approach 6 / Informal and positive interactions 6 / Interagency cooperation 7 / Frontline police 8 / Mentoring and assessing new recruits – local induction programs 8 / Local cultural awareness training 9 / Attracting the right police to remote locations 10 / Getting involved in the community 10 / Aboriginal police 10 / Barriers in recruiting Aboriginal police 10 / The current position 11 / Recruitment strategies targeting Aboriginal people 11 / How successful are these strategies? 12 / Additional measures 12 / Aboriginal community liaison officers 13 / What makes a good ACLO? 13 / The ACLO’s role in relationship building 14 / Involving ACLOs more in the training of new recruits and existing staff 14 / Getting value from an ACLO operationally 14 / Employment issues 15 / The need to promptly fill vacant ACLO positions 15 / The demand for female ACLOs 15 / Assessing an ACLO’s performance 15 / Training and career development 16 / Fighting crime 17 / Working with the community to solve crime 17 / The impact of the police operational response on relationship building 18 / Young people 19 / Positive interactions between police and young people 19 / Formal diversionary options and alternatives to court 19 / Other youth diversionary strategies 20 / Crime prevention and personal safety 20 / Cultural and recreational activities 20 / Links with the Police and Community Youth Club (PCYC) 21 / Education, employment and training 22 / What makes a good youth liaison officer? 22 / Measuring the success of local strategies 23 / Family and domestic violence 24 / Positive initiatives 24 / Police involvement in other diversionary programs 26 / Where to from here? 28 / Recommendations 29