Community bond building program is on the move

Coffee with a cop was held on the clay pan at Waka Station,Tibooburra recently.

Local cop Dave Bates, on patrol dropped in and met with a number of travellers heading past from Cameron’s Corner.

Lucky for one passerby - a flat tyre saw a record pit lane change.

The Coffee with a Cop campaign derives from the We Are You strategy used by NSW Police and began in Fairfield around 2013 and has been held more than 30 times in different areas of the Fairfield Local Government Area.

The initiative is led by NSW Police, to share a message that the police are part of the community and have a shared goal that can be achieved.

New South Wales Police identified an opportunity in prioritising social cohesion and harmony into ways of working with local community.

Encouraging community members to reach out and speak what may be on their mind and get to know their local police.

The campaign combines several officers from different commands including general duties, highway patrol, youth liaison officers, domestic violence and crime prevention with many officers being from diverse cultural backgrounds.

With a local setting (coffee shop, local PCYC or community centre) community members are encouraged to take part in a casual conversation with current issues, general thoughts and future hopes.

The campaign originally held in Fairfield, has now been held more than 30 times since 2013.

Due to significant feedback and increasing turnout, in February 2017, the NSW Police held a state-wide event with more than 70 local area commands taking part.

The Government agency continue holding annual events and encourage community lead conversations.

In many locations, these events have been useful in encouraging refugee community members and newly arrived people to have conversations with their local police.