Two Moree police officers were named finalists in the prestigious Rotary Police Officer of the Year Awards, for their efforts in reducing youth crime and building relationships between police and young people.
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Moree officer-in-charge Inspector Martin Burke and Moree PCYC youth case worker Senior Constable Mel Robson were instrumental in establishing the Moree PCYC Saturday night program, which saw them recognised as finalists in the 2019 Rotary Police Officer of the Year Awards.
The awards were held in Sydney on Friday, November 8 and although neither of the Moree officers won their respective categories, both were thrilled to be finalists among the more than 16,000 police officers in the state.
Inspector Burke was one of three finalists up for the Irene Juergens (IJ) Fellowship Award - Sworn Category, which recognises outstanding individual contributions to community-based policing and community engagement, acknowledging those who demonstrate a personal commitment to engagement and crime prevention above and beyond their job requirements.
Irene Juergens, who retired from the police force in 2009 after 44 years, is a true exemplar of community-based policing and Inspector Burke said he was honoured to be a finalist for an award in her name.
"It's very pleasing to see that what you do gets recognised," he said.
"We don't necessarily do our work for accolades such as this but when you do get recognised it's humbling.
"Our main focus of what we do is in relation to that community engagement; working directly with the community to try and bring everyone together and try to address some of the issues we've got going on in town."
Meanwhile Senior Constable Robson was a finalist in the Regional NSW Field Operations Police Officer of the Year Award, which recognises policing excellence for sworn officers performing duties within the Regional Field Operations Commands, with the potential to score the major gong, the NSW Rotary Police Officer of the Year Award.
"I didn't actually understand what it was all about until I Googled it and realised it's the most prestigious event on the police calendar for the year," Senior Constable Robson said.
"It was overwhelming. I'm just doing my job and trying to fill those gaps in the community that we see."
The Saturday night PCYC program was established by Inspector Burke and Senior Constable Robson in February this year, after the pair decided something needed to be done to address some of the issues in the Moree community, particularly in relation to youth crime.
Inspector Burke said a significant issue he sees is the low literacy and numeracy skills of adults in town, and while he admits he doesn't see people at the "best of times", he recognised the importance for children to go to school and get an education, while also eating healthy, which he said links in with behavioural and educational outcomes.
"The biggest thing is seeing the vulnerability of people within the community," Inspector Burke said.
"A lot of people don't have a great deal, not just in a material sense but also in a support sense, particularly the kids.
"Some kids are safer walking the streets at night than going home. It's a sad fact.
"The biggest thing is just to do something. That was the concept myself and Mel came up with. So that's what we did."
Since February, the PCYC has opened its doors late every Saturday night, providing a safe place for young people to go, where they get fed and have the opportunity to participate in games and activities, all while building a positive relationship with local police.
It now draws on average about 80 children a night, with more than 2400 attending the program since February. In total, organisers have seen about 400 individual children, ranging in ages from six to 17, come through the doors.
Since the program has been established, Senior Constable Robson said there has been a reduction in youth crime, particularly during those Saturday night hours, but the biggest win has been the improvement in the relationship between police and young people.
"Our crime has gone way down, particularly during those hours, but also the interactions with police is so different now - there's no swearing at police, things like that," she said.
"We've still got petty crime but kids are telling us. They're saying to each other, 'don't do that, these people are watching us'. They now think, 'Mel wouldn't like that or Mr Burke wouldn't like that, so nah, we won't do that tonight'."
"People think it's just a babysitting service but at least we know the kids are safe. It used to start at 2100 and run until 0100 because kids were on the streets until 2, 3am. Now it's 8pm to 11pm and they know they need to be home at midnight and be in bed. There's the problem of parents drinking, domestic violence, but the kids are thinking they're going to be asleep by then, or we drive around and they now say 'don't drop them there tonight Mel, drop them here instead'. There's that trust."
Not only does the program provide a safe place for children to go on a Saturday night, but Senior Constable Robson said it's also teaching them life skills in the hope of breaking the cycle of not working and instead turning to alcohol, drugs and crime.
"We want the kids of Moree to know we believe in you, we want great things from you," she said.
"Dream big - the whole world is your oyster. Some have got sh** in their lives but they can have a positive influence in their life. Some of them now tell me they want to be a police officer.
"We want them to know they're better than stealing cars and breaking in. We try to teach them that you can't have something if you don't work for it. It also means more if you've worked for it, rather than stealing it.
"We're trying to give them life skills; build up their self-confidence and self-esteem, so they don't get dragged into the cycle.
"Martin introduced one of the young boys to a horse trainer. He wanted to drive fast cars, so we got him on a horse instead. They like to take risks, but have no idea of the future consequences and implications of what happens when they crash a car. A racehorse is a still thrill, but it's something they can control. There's always something in life you can do instead."
The other big win from the program is the number of youth services working together, with representatives from Miyay Birray, SHAE Academy, Salvation Army, Moree Plains Shire Council in regular attendance, while Aboriginal Legal Services' Michelle Blore attending nearly every Saturday night. Woolworths' Kylie Heffernan has also been a big supporter of the program, providing food and water. A number of other community volunteers have also been instrumental in the program's success.
"It's a whole of community approach," Inspector Burke said.
"There's a good cross-section of the community that has gotten on board.
"We encourage members of the community to come down and spend time on Saturday night."
