3rd January 2019
What a surprise – the junior siblings and their friends are emulating their older role models. Who would have guessed that phenomena?
This is the most damming and amplified example of the failure of reactive policing, the philosophical bent of Victoria Police.
While all the resources were applied to catching the older ones they forgot or didn’t know there is an obligation in Policing called Crime Prevention and they should have been working on the younger ones.
“… members have a duty to preserve the peace, protect life and property, prevent offences…” (VicPol mission statement).
The older siblings needed to be arrested and charged for offences they commit but at the same time the proactive function of Victoria Police should have been working to avoid the emulation by the “Kiddy Gangs.”
Programs like Police in Schools, Blue Light, Police and Citizens Youth Clubs, Operation New Start, The Ropes program and an upgraded, modernised, and expanded Police Cautioning Diversionary program, all could have contributed to avoiding the development of the “Kiddy Gangs.”
But Vitoria does not have these programs like all the other States with lower crime rates. The best VicPol can muster is a Blue Light program a skeleton of its former self, and a cautioning Program that has not seen a meaningful upgrade since its inception in the 50s.
The era of Proactive Policing introduced by Chief Commissioner S. I. Miller and developed further by Chief Commissioner K. Glare saw the lowest crime rates and the highest level of levels of feeling safe in our community that has sadly been lost over recent years together with the art of Proactive Policing.
This all might have something to with Victoria having the lowest rate of feeling safe [6.4].
The Community Advocacy Alliance has recommended a myriad of proposals in its Plan 100.1 to address these failings. The plan is published on caainc.org.au.
The CAA calls for the urgent implementation by the Victoria Police of proactive crime prevention strategies.
Preventing crime reduces victims.