You are here: Home / Media / Teams make way for Precincts

Teams make way for Precincts

A RADICAL restructure of local Police Accountability Community Team meetings has begun, after criticism that they were closed to the public and lacked transparency reports Robert Burton-Bradley in Central of 2 April 2008.

The meetings were originally intended to be a way for police to engage with communities and communicate with them about local issues. While some meetings - including Surry Hills - were closed to the public and minutes not made available, others have won praise from politicians and community groups for openness and community involvement.

The wide variation in how the meetings were run between different commands was just one reason the review was taking place, the Central Metropolitan Region Commander, Assistant Commissioner Catherine Burn, said.

"Currently the NSW Police Force is reviewing many of its strategies to ensure that they are still relevant and effective," Ms Burn said.

"Some commands have very good Police Accountability Community Teams working in their areas and these partnerships will be maintained."

She said a new system of Community Safety Precincts would be set up in each command, with similar aims to Police Accountability Community Teams, but would also focus on bringing community, agencies and others together for a more collaborative approach to crime issues.

"It may be that the community opinion is that graffiti is the major issues impacting in their community, so the role of the Safety Precinct will be to work together on solving the problem," Ms Burn said. "Additionally, the Safety Precincts will concentrate on enhancing customer service by police in their local communities. This will be done by listening, by being responsive and by providing good communication and feedback"

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore welcomed the review but also pointed to the Kings Cross model, saying it should be the example for other commands to follow.

"Direct community participation provides a valuable addition to the closed PACT model, where meetings are restricted to appointed representatives from local residents, business and council, as well as the local MP," Cr Moore said.

Former Kings Cross police commander, Superintendent Jenny Hayes, said the Kings Cross system was the best when it came to community involvement and building local relationships.

"We had quarterly meetings and they were open to the community, allowing them to give us feedback; it's a very successful model," she said.

Source: Central 2 April 2008