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by pltm
(PLTM) - An old plea by the police force was publicly answered by one brave resident of the Long Look community, who stated that persons do not reach out with information or even report matters to the police because of trust issues.
“The folks in this community do not trust the police.”
The resident made this comment while speaking at the recent police organised community meeting in Long Look at the Stickette on January 16. The meeting saw the Commissioner of Police Michael Matthews and Deputy Premier, Hon. Kedrick Pickering, along with other politicians, addressing concerns and encouraging persons to speak up and out on the crime epidemic.
The resident went onto note that the issue of lack of trust needs to be quickly rectified by the police force, noting that, “The gap needs to be bridged.”
The resident then further questioned the Commissioner as to his plans to address the matter.
“Crime is tearing our community apart and until we get back where we were many years ago, it’s going to get worse.”
She added, “Parents need to stand accountable for what’s happening. They know what’s happening and I’m disappointed I’m not seeing a lot of them at this meeting. Whatever needs to be done to make this work, we just have to do it. We need to help the police. We need to begin trusting the police. We are all a part of the problem.”
In a brief response, the Commissioner noted that he has already begun to draft a three year action plan for the Territory, with community policing a huge part of policing efforts.
“Building trust starts immediately. Persons have to reach out to police and police officers to the same. As we recruit more officers, I am committed to increase the community policing teams to interact more with the residents. I want them on foot in the community, breathing, working and meeting with persons and building trust, confidence and communication lines.”
Commissioner Matthews went on to state, “We can’t be everywhere. Nowhere manages to deploy police everywhere, but give us a fighting chance. The real problem I see is about changing cultural mind-sets. Family relationships run deep in the communities, but you cannot condone violent crimes and maintain the safety and security you enjoy; you cannot have both. You condone the offences by staying silent.”
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