Former commissioners attack Victoria police efforts to deradicalise teenagers
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Version 0 of 1. Victorian police efforts to address the radicalisation of young people by terrorist groups have been criticised by five former state police chiefs, who in an open letter said a “fortress mentality” had emerged within the force at a time when community engagement was critical. Related: Victoria's deradicalisation plan a 'Soviet-style' idea that will only alienate – expert The lead author of the letter, Kelvin Glare, was Victorian police commissioner between 1987 and 1992, and he and his co-signatories said they were dismayed that, in their opinion, Victoria’s police were “becoming more and more disengaged from the community, particularly youth”. “We note the recent instruction that police must work in pairs and wear protective vests on duty, not travel to and from home in uniform and not take police cars home or park them where police live,” they wrote. “We are of the view that this is a win for terrorists and sends the message that VicPol fears these barbarians. A basic policing tool is the gathering of information which can only occur through engagement with the community. Without it, policing becomes ineffective and crime and social disorder flourishes.” Guardian Australia has requested comment from Glare. The acting chief commissioner, Tim Cartwright, said the accusations “couldn’t be more wrong” and that police would never give in to terrorism. The measures were about “keeping my people safe while we keep the community safe,” he said. “I need to be able to stand up and say I do everything I need to do to keep my people safe,” he said. “To suggest that we’ve moved away from community engagement and youth engagement … couldn’t be more wrong.” Related: Victoria proposes forcing suspected radicalised teenagers into programs The letter also criticises the withdrawal of Victoria police from youth programs like the Blue Light youth camp, and Operation Newstart, a program which aimed to keep young people in education or vocational training and away from crime. The letter follows revelations this week that Victoria police have a proposal before the state government, requesting powers to force those they identify as potential terrorists into deradicalisation programs, restrict who they associate with, and ban them from using the internet. Leading academics have criticised the program, telling Guardian Australia it was a “Soviet-style” proposal with the potential to further alienate disenfranchised youth. |