Police touch base in referral ‘first’

Alex de Vos
Police have developed an Australian-first referral program to prevent “serious” crime spiralling out of control.
Now the initiative is set to spread to other stations around Victoria and interstate as police seek help to deal with calls for help and issues outside the usual duties of the force.
Corio Police Acting Sergeant Shane Connolly said the program put residents seeking help in contact with appropriate community groups and social service providers.
Sgt Connolly said the program equipped police with “accessible” information to “support and assist” residents struggling to manage personal or family issues.
The program comprised a database of agencies to provide police with a “direct” contact to streamline referrals.
Sgt Connolly said Corio Police previously struggled to locate and contact agencies such as Department of Human Services or the Salvation Army to provide assistance to residents in crisis, he said.
“Corio Police Station is the first point of call for people in Corio and Norlane – we’re open 24 hours a day,” he said.
“But sometimes we can’t resolve the situation and then the problems get bigger.”
Sgt Connolly said the new system would ensure residents received professional help to “prevent serious incidents from occurring down the track”.
“We had a diabetic girl who had a fit in the car and crashed into a tree at 1.30am one morning,’ he said.
“With the help of the new system we were able to send an email to council and the next day the tree was removed.
“If we have a young Filipino boy with a drug habit, now we know what to do with him – it prevents a ripple effect.”
Sgt Connolly said the program had taken 23 months to implement.
“It’s going to have a massive impact and we’ve already got other stations saying they want their own system,” he said.