Community leaders were given a unique insight into the world of policing as they experience a number of hands-on exercises during a three-day engagement program. The 14th instalment of the Community Awareness in Policing Program (CAPP), started in Sydney on Friday 20 May 2016 and will involve 20 participants from across the community. Those taking part include numerous prominent community members from religious and civic leaders to academics, cultural identities, pop-culture personalities, as well as media and business professionals.
Developed by the NSW Police Force Customer Service Program, CAPP was first launched in 2010 and is the first of its kind for law enforcement agencies across Australia. The program is designed to develop community knowledge and understanding of modern policing, including the operational decisions officers make, often instantaneously, and the training and protocols they’re based on.
During the three-day program, participants will visit the NSW Police Academy at Goulburn, the Public Order and Riot Squad, Marine Area Command, Forensic Services Group, and the Sydney Police Centre.
They will experience numerous different aspects of policing, including driver training and road-safety strategies, marine search and rescue, disaster victim identification, criminal investigation and weapons training. Officers from the Counter Terrorism & Special Tactics Command, Dog Unit and Ballistics will also provide demonstrations of their daily operations during the course. These experiences not only allow participants to gain new knowledge but also facilitate effective two-way communication between police and their communities.
Participants are given the opportunity to speak to a variety of officers – from constables to commanders – allowing them to build a better understanding of the challenges of their respective roles.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn said CAPP is a fantastic opportunity for community leaders to better understand the multifaceted world of modern policing.
“By visiting different training facilities and participating in a range of simulations, community members can improve their knowledge of what police officers do and more importantly why they do it,” Deputy Commissioner Burn said.
“CAPP also allows the community to develop a greater confidence in law enforcement through their improved knowledge, which is essential in working together to prevent and investigate crime. “The exercises provide participants with factual information on crime trends, operational policing and the high-level of training our officers must consistently meet,” Deputy Commissioner Burn said.
“This creates a far more effective understanding of the demands and rewards of every day policing – knowledge that they may then pass on to others in the community.
“The NSW Police Force is always seeking to strengthen our relationship with the community we serve and CAPP creates an environment to continue that development.”
Further information on CAPP can be found at http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/capp.
CAPP14 Participants:
Peter Dunphy PSM – Executive Director, Safe Work NSW
Carrie Deane, Founder and Managing Director Rough Threads
Shane Knight, Director, White Knight Foundation
Dawn Fraser AO MBE, Olympic Gold Medalist – Swimming
Shane Withington, Actor in Channel 7 production of “Home & Away”
Ralph Kelly, Director/CEO Thomas Kelly Youth Foundation
Reverend Sarah Plummer, Senior Chaplain, Specialist Operations, NSW Police Force
Robert Ovadia, Journalist, Seven News
Nidhi Baweja, National Secretary for the Council of International Students Australia
Honorable Justice James Wood AO QC, Chairman NSW State Parole Authority
Priscilla Brice, Managing Director of All Together Now
Airlie Walsh, Nine News Journalist
Mala Mehta OAM, IABBV Hindi School
Lorna Knowles, Senior Investigative Reporter, ABC National Reporting Team
Matthew Mitcham OAM, Olympic Gold Medalist – Diving, now performing artist
Elizabeth Broderick AO, Special Advisor to the Executive Director of UN Women
Sister Mary Walsh PBVM, Deputy Leader of the Society of Presentation Sisters of Australia and Papua New Guinea
Shaykh Ahmed Abdo, Imam and Honorary NSW Police Force Chaplain
David Jones, Client Leader for NSW Government – Police & Transport, IBM Australia
Lia Harris, Crime Reporter, The Sunday Telegraph
