22 July 2008
‘TRUST’ poster to help police combat racial hatred
Australian Race Discrimination Commissioner, Tom Calma, and the New South Wales Police Force Corporate Spokesperson for Cultural Diversity, Deputy Commissioner Nick Kaldas, released the ‘TRUST’ poster today, a significant tool aimed at assisting police officers with monitoring and responding to incidents of racial and religious hatred throughout the State.
“The ‘TRUST’ poster was developed in order to address some of the issues identified by the Muslim Community and police during the Unlocking Doors Project,” said Commissioner Calma.
The Unlocking Doors Project, which is a collaboration between the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC), the NSW Police Force and Victoria Police, brought Muslim communities and police together, in an environment of trust, to discuss and respond to incidents of racial and religious discrimination and abuse.
Mr Calma said, “The ‘TRUST’ poster provides valuable guidance to police officers who respond to incidents of racial and religious hatred and abuse when it occurs in the community.”
“The ‘TRUST’ poster, which will be exhibited in every police station in NSW, aims to enhance the overall monitoring and response of Police to racial hatred incidents by encouraging officers to record all reports and offences and to refer victims to HREOC or the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board (ADB),” said NSW Police Force Deputy Commissioner Kaldas.
The poster is one component of the NSWP Police Force’s focus on recording and responding to prejudice motivated crime, which includes racial, religious, homophobic, and political prejudice. A comprehensive policy and training strategy will be released later this year to support police officers in understanding and responding to reports from the community.
Commissioner Calma said, “The ‘TRUST’ poster is a proactive tool that addresses discrimination and prejudice against communities that are vulnerable to racial and religious discrimination, hatred and abuse and aims to help build trust between these communities and police.”
The poster is one of a number of initiatives being conducted by HREOC over the next three years to help build trust between communities and police, especially communities vulnerable to racial and religious discrimination, hatred and abuse such as the Muslim community.
A similar initiative, conducted on a national level, is the Community Policing Partnerships Program (CPPP) which invites Muslim communities and Police to establish viable projects to help build relationships and trust at the local level. 19 CPPP projects were announced on April 29, 2008
The ‘TRUST’ poster, and additional information about these and other programs, including the CPPP, are available on the HREOC website under the heading, ‘Current projects’ at http://www.humanrights.gov.au/racial_discrimination/index.html
Media contact: Brinsley Marlay (02) 9284 9656 or 0430 366 529
