A fair cop

Have to send this around after being involved again in this today (3/9)...

Cheeyars

Sally

On Thursday 6 August, I had the exciting opportunity to be involved in a new addition to training for police recruits. Along with Greg Adkins of the Anti-Violence Project, Jamie Gardiner, people from the indigenous community, a hard-of-hearing person, and people originally from Chile, Burma, Sudan and the Congo we took part in the second cultural diversity training exercise.

The program involves the 50 or so recruits at the academy being divided into groups of 6 or 8 and each community representative spending about10 minutes with each group, then rotating around (no, it’s not speed dating!). Seriously, the onus was on the recruits to take the initiative and ask questions about our experience, as well as asking re issues that may affect their duties e.g. the correct pronouns to use, what happens when a transgender person unfortunately ends up in custody. More a “living library book” type approach than speed dating…

My personal highlight was when I mentioned a favourite queer DVD, only to have one participant pipe up with “that’s my favourite too!” We agreed on our 2nd favourite too! Dare I say a case of the police “recruiting” queers?

I can understand the hurt created by police discrimination of the past (I’ve copped some myself) and appreciate it might not be easy for some to let it go. However, I’m now firmly convinced that if individual police might be homophobic in their private lives, they won’t have the opportunity to be that way in the job, as there has been an overwhelming turnaround in the culture of Victoria Police.

Recruits gave feedback that this was the highlight of their training. All participants want to take the idea further with something like an informal barbeque where we could connect further – we’ll make it happen!

Mention must be made of people like Jill Wood and Dave Truman who stood up in darker times; Melinda Edwards, Scott Davis and the GLLO team; former Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon who led the first official VicPol contingent in the 2002 Pride March and Simon Overland for his support of IDAHO in May this year. Apologies if I've missed anyone.

It’s 40 years since Stonewall when police systemically harassed queers and 40 years since Woodstock . The times definitely are a’changin’ in Victoria.