QPS wins five police-led project awards Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Awards
The Queensland Police Service (QPS) has won four out of the five police-led project awards at the 2018 Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Awards in Canberra today.
The awards are a joint Australian, state and territory government initiative, coordinated by the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) and co-sponsored by the Ministerial Council for Police and Emergency Management.
The QPS received the following awards:
- Gold: Gold Coast Domestic and Family Violence Taskforce
- Silver: Connected Women Project
- Silver: Cairns Child Protection Investigation Unit’s Speak Up, Be Strong, Be Heard
- Bronze: QPS South West District Blue Light Shearing Project
These annual awards recognise the outstanding contributions being made across Australia for crime prevention, including the development and implementation of practical projects to reduce violence and other types of crime in the community.
Gold Coast Domestic and Family Violence Taskforce
The Gold Coast Domestic and Family Violence Taskforce was formed in 2016 following several homicides involving domestic and family violence on the Gold Coast.
QPS Gold Coast Police District Detective Inspector, Marc Hogan was instrumental in establishing the taskforce in response to a new environment that had emerged that required new techniques.
“Since its establishment, the taskforce has demonstrated QPS innovation and community leadership in developing new relationships, programs, practices and strategies which have delivered substantial improvements in safety for our most vulnerable,” Detective Inspector Hogan said.
“Our high-level professional services are meeting the needs and expectations of victims of violence and homicides have been prevented.”
South Eastern Police Region Assistant Commissioner Brian Wilkins said work like this is at the heart of policing and a cornerstone of what police officers do to protect our community.
“These awards are important and we as a police service are supportive of them because they recognise and validate the good work that Gold Coast Police have been doing with Domestic and Family Violence and keeping our community safe for all,” Assistant Commissioner Wilkins said.
Connected Women Project
This award recognises the innovative and effective approach and collaborative work being undertaken to ensure an evidence-based approach, backed by evaluation and research, while working together with our community.
Queensland Police Service Acting Inspector Janelle Andrews said Connected Women is a unique, vibrant, women-led nine week program.
“Our program is delivered in partnership with the Islamic Women’s Association of Australia and is aimed at newly arrived young refugee Muslim women,” Acting Inspector Andrews said.
“Senior female police officers work with the women to empower and educate them about violence and reporting, accessibility, safety and the human rights of participants.
“We want to build their knowledge of police, trust and confidence in police and their willingness for future engagement with police.”
Cairns Child Protection Investigation Unit’s Speak Up, Be Strong, Be Heard
Queensland Police Service Detective Senior Sergeant, Michael Gookier said the project was developed in response to the Preventing Youth Sexual Violence and Abuse in West Cairns and Aurukun Report.
“Speak Up, Be Strong, Be Heard aims to develop an ethos of child protection by increasing community awareness of youth sexual violence and abuse, strengthening reporting obligations and improving the overarching agency interventions to these matters within these communities,” Detective Senior Sergeant Gookier said.
“The project is led by two Indigenous police officers, which has greatly enhanced engagement and delivery with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities, and also ensured the project was developed and implemented in a culturally appropriate manner.”
QPS South West District Blue Light Shearing Project
This project was recognised for addressing the underlying contributors of youth crime.
QPS Acting Superintendent Paul Hart said the project was started to curb and prevent offending behaviour.
“In a time when jobs are difficult to find, the South West District Blue Light Shearing project has provided much needed skills and hope to young people in the south west, affording them work in one of the few industries that has future growth prospects,” Acting Superintendent Hart said.
“The program has already diverted many young people away from offending and violent behaviour and given them hope for the future,” he added.
More information about this year’s award winners can be found on the AIC website