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222
National Police Research Unit study
That the National Police Research Unit make a particular study of efforts currently being made by Police Services to improve relations between police and Aboriginal people with a view to disseminating relevant information to Police Services and Aboriginal communities and organisations, as to appropriate initiatives which might be adopted.
We can help Victoria Police be part of a new way of thinking – we want to make sure people feel comfortable about going to the police station, whether it is for positive interactions or not.
Aboriginal Justice Caucus Assessment
The intent of Recommendation 222 was for the National Police Research Unit to provide information to police services and Aboriginal groups on initiatives which might improve relationships between police and Aboriginal people.
Actions taken align with the intent of Recommendation 222, with reports, research, conferences and other efforts to highlight promising practice in improving relations between police services and Aboriginal communities. However, it remains unclear whether these were shared with Aboriginal communities as initially intended.
Recommendation 222 is no longer relevant as the agency it refers to no longer exists.
Under the Victorian Aboriginal Justice Agreement, we have spent over 25 years working with governments and Victoria Police to improve relationships with and responses to our community. This work will continue under the Phase 5 of the Agreement.
Priority for Further Work:
Low
Relevance and potential impact | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Low (0-2) | Moderate (3-4) | High (5-6) | |||
Extent of action taken and evidence of outcomes | High (5-6) | ||||
Moderate (3-4) | |||||
Low (0-2) | |||||
Background
The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC) recognised that Aboriginal communities wanted relationships with police to improve. The Commissioners examined several initiatives, including Community Justice Panels and Police Liaison Officers, with the potential to improve these relationships. They felt that a broader study of these kinds of initiatives could support improved relationships between police and Aboriginal communities across jurisdictions.
Actions Taken Since Last Review
Justice Policy Partnership
The Justice Policy Partnership was established in 2021 under Priority Reform One - Formal Partnerships and Shared Decision-Making - of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.
Focused on providing a national joined up approach to reducing the overrepresentation of Aboriginal young people and adults in the criminal justice system, the Justice Policy Partnership is co-chaired by the Attorney-General’s Department and National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Legal Services.
The Justice Policy Partnership has members representing the Commonwealth government, state and territory governments, Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations, and Aboriginal justice experts.
Early work of the Justice Policy Partnership required government representatives to review and report on partnerships between their police services and Aboriginal communities. This included assessing whether those partnerships reflected the strong partnership elements contained in the National Agreement.
Information was shared among representatives from each jurisdiction and their state-based networks to highlight effective approaches for strengthening partnerships between police and Aboriginal communities.
Australian New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency
The Australian New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency holds annual conferences which bring together people across jurisdictions to share information on innovative approaches to policing. The 2023 conference agenda highlighted successful initiatives that had enhanced relationships between police and First Nations communities, including Te Pae Oranga and Whāngaia Ngā Pā Harakeke - Iwi, community and agency partnerships, and Yuendumu and the Aboriginal Liaison Officer expansion.
Impact
Outputs
Justice Policy Partnership Annual Report 2022
The Annual Report determined that Action 2.1 had been partially implemented. This related to identifying the extent to which existing partnerships in jurisdictions include partnerships between police agencies and Aboriginal people, and whether those partnerships include the strong partnership elements in the National Agreement.
Community Views
John (Johnny) Gorton
We can help Victoria Police be part of a new way of thinking – we want to make sure people feel comfortable about going to the police station, whether it is for positive interactions or not.