Vic Police backtrack

VICTORIA Police has scrapped plans to dismantle the Multicultural Advisory Unit.
As reported by The AJN last month, an internal review recommended getting rid of the division and redeploying police officers elsewhere in the force.

But after fierce lobbying from ethnic community representatives around the state, on Monday, Victoria Police Inspector Bob Raaymakers confirmed plans to dump the unit had changed and the unit would not be disbanded.

Through a police spokesperson, he said, “Now we can bolster our service and enhance services to the community.”
According to proposals set out in the review, multicultural issues would likely be dealt with at a regional level in the future, rather than in a coordinated, central unit.

Earlier this year, Commander Ashley Dickinson told a meeting of the Police and Community Multicultural Advisory Committee that disbanding the Multicultural Advisory Unit could be harmful to relations between police and ethnic communities.

“Many other jurisdictions look to us to see what it is that we are doing, how and why we are doing it, and in many cases are very envious; for instance, that we can have a meeting like this with so many esteemed community representatives coming along and giving their time to work in partnership with us,” Commander Dickinson said.

Rabbi Meir Shlomo Kluwgant, a Victoria Police chaplain, told The AJN ethnic communities across the state had been writing letters and making phone calls to senior police in a bid to emphasise on the importance of the Multicultural Advisory Unit.

“The reality is that the Multicultural Advisory Unit is largely responsible for the extent of the positive relations that currently exist between our community  – as well as other faith group communities – and Victoria Police,” he said. “With the continuance of the Multicultural Advisory Unit we can look forward to maintaining and growing this relationship towards the future.”

NAOMI LEVIN

Caption: From left: Rabbi Meir Shlomo Kluwgant, Albert Fatileh, Rabbi Yaakov Glasman. Photo: Peter Haskin

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