A planned leadership group to tackle juvenile crime in Kempsey remains a priority, despite the temporary transfer of the district's police commander and sorry business in the community.
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The Mid North Coast Police District Commander's Leadership Group was launched by District Commander Shane Cribb in November 2022.
The initiative focuses on the joining of forces between respected role models within the community and police to better engage the younger generation and help combat crime in the area.
Superintendent Cribb has since been relocated from Kempsey to Coffs Harbour indefinitely, however, Mid North Coast Acting Superintendent Joanne Schultz says she is dedicated to continue the group with helping young people a key goal.
The group, which includes 15 Aboriginal Elders, has not met in any formal capacity since its launch 6 months ago due to the shuffle of police personnel and sorry business within the Indigenous community during that period.
Superintendent Schultz says there has been informal engagement between police and Aboriginal Elders throughout this time, such as casual catch-ups at the raising of the Aboriginal flag outside Kempsey Police Station in April (2023).
"We invited the Elders Council to [the ceremony] who all participated in the flag raising and we had discussions there that were really productive," Supt Schultz said.
Those involved in the Leadership Group plan to reconvene with regular meetings in the near future.
"The people who were there were very keen to continue on with the group so it's not been forgotten about, I think it's just with recent events it's been challenging to do it," she said.
Director at Dunghutti Elders Council and one of the Aboriginal Leaders identified to form the group, Uncle Leo Wright, is eager for the police to show they're on the community's side.
"We've got to walk the streets and show [the community] that we can work together and walk together," said Uncle Leo.
Supt Schultz says with crime an ongoing problem the Mid North Coast police are constantly focused on prevention as the "ultimate goal".
"We work really hard to try and steer kids away and prevent crime from occurring in the first place," she said.
Working closely with the Youth Commander staff that are on the ground in Kempsey, Mid North Coast police are looking at ways to engage with young people to prevent them from committing crime rather than solely focusing on investigating and responding to crime when it does happen.
"The focus on prevention has to start so early in every community," Supt Schultz said.
Learning the Macleay is an Australian Government initiative supporting community-led systems with a long term goal of disrupting disadvantage.
The program employs Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to improve wellbeing for children and their families living in the Macleay Valley.
Superintendent Schultz represents the Mid North Coast Police District as an active member of the Cross-Sectional Leadership Group within the program.
"I think it's really important for police to be at the table, to work with other leaders and hear issues raised by community reference groups in order to address their road blocks," she said.
One conversation on the table is that crime is not often committed during office hours.
These community-led leadership groups focus on how best to deal with crime that is committed late at night or on weekends.
"We need to be looking at what capacity there is and whether organisations need to shift around when people need them, and it might not be in office hours, they might be needed out of hours," Supt Schulz said.
"We need to move out of the Monday to Friday nine-to-five, however this is a slow process and will take time."
PCYC NSW is another resource supporting young people in partnership with the police and the community.
The Unite Program held every Friday night at Kempsey's PCYC is one such event which provides dinner and activities for young people in the evening.
The conversation around support for young people outside of office hours as a preventative measure is on the agenda for the next Leadership Group meeting to be held in the coming weeks.
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