By Jena Carr
Victoria Police’s Public Order Response Team (PORT) are visiting schools across the Geelong area to help bridge the gap between police and the community.
PORT officers visited Covenant College in Bell Post Hill on Monday, July 29, to deliver important safety messages, discuss the role of police, and inform students on how to seek help.
PORT Acting Sergeant Matt Nauta said it was important to hold sessions between police and schools to educate young people about the roles of emergency services.
“Geelong police and PORT are visiting schools throughout Victoria to bridge that gap in our community relationships,” he said.
“These sessions are so important to educate younger people, so they’re fully aware of what the police do and how they can assist us moving forward.
“We do everything that the normal general duties police do, but we have higher capabilities and we’ve got extra training in terms of protests and those kinds of things.”
Mr Nauta said police were not “out to get anyone” and were “just normal people” helping keep everybody safe.
“If we’ve got a good community relationship, we’re like a team and a partnership in everything we’re trying to do and keeping everybody safe,” he said.
“There are so many aspects of having a good relationship with the community. We use them every day, and they’re our number one source of information.
“I’m a father of two, I work with a lot of people that are also parents, and we’re in the same community that they’re from, so it’s so important to have a good relationship with each other.”
PORT’s visits form part of Victoria Police’s School Engagement Model, which focuses on community engagement and building strong connections with young people and their families.
