Liaison officer to give police the inside story

DANDENONG police this week welcomed a new community liaison officer who will help build their relationships with and understanding of new and emerging communities.
Marian Hamed, from Eritrea, is one of three new liaison officers – the others are from Sudan and Chile – who will be based at Dandenong, Northcote and Keilor Downs.
A fourth will be based at police headquarters and will specialise in family violence issues.
Despite their specific background, the New and Emerging Liaison Officers (NECLOs) will work with people from all cultural backgrounds such as migrants from the Horn of Africa, Burma, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Announcing the appointments on Monday, Police Chief Commissioner Simon Overland said it was crucial that police reflected the community they served.
The liaison officers would provide a direct source of information to ensure police were culturally aware.
“A lot of new arrivals come from countries that have different experiences of police and, as a result, they may fear or misunderstand their role in the community,” Mr Overland said.
“They may not be of the same cultural background as the people they are engaging with but they will all have similar experiences in migrating and settling in a new country and becoming part of the community.”