Above: George Gatbok (left) and Senior Constable Joey Herrech from the Multicultural Liaison Unit at the police versus Sudanese youth basketball game.By Sarah Schwager
POLICE and Sudanese youths fought it out on Tuesday in a basketball game designed to highlight cultural acceptance in the community.
Dandenong Senior Constable Joey Herrech from the Multicultural Liaison Unit said the pilot event aimed to give police and Sudanese youths the chance to interact in a controlled environment.
He said it also promoted a positive and harmonious relationship between the police and the range of cultures in the community.
“With the influx of people from the Horn of Africa, we decided to promote the police’s stance on the acceptance of all religions and cultures,” Sen Const Herrech said.
“It worked out really well. It was a very successful event.”
Senior Constable Mel Colcott from the Dandenong Regional Response Unit was a good recruit for the police team, having previously played for the Dandenong Rangers, but couldn’t lift the team to victory.
The team of 12 Sudanese boys proved too good, winning the match 36-31 at the Dandenong Basketball Stadium.
Sen Const Herrech said a crowd of about 100 watched, including representatives from local service providers and schools, such as Emerson School in Dandenong and the Noble Park English Language School, as well as family and friends.
New Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Paul Evans also attended the game, his first official event in the role, and even sat on the Sudanese bench for a while.
Sen Const Herrech said the close-scoring game was “played in great spirits” between the team of 12 policemen and women and the Sudanese team.
“At the next one we’ll try to get Sudanese females to play. But this time it was a good chance to give the boys interaction with female police officers as well,” he said.
Sen Const Herrech said they were planning another game in late February next year.
“We will use this model to make a larger version,” he said.
“We will advertise more and target more at-risk kids and ones that would benefit from having a positive relationship with the police.
“Those involved did enjoy it but they probably weren’t ones that we would be focusing on normally.”
