Community Constables making communities safer
Two young Aboriginal men, with desires to help their respective communities, recently graduated from the South Australian Police Academy and have since returned to their homes in the APY Lands in northern South Australia to serve as Community Constables.
A desire to serve their community and ensure it was safe and peaceful is something that inspired a couple of young men from the APY Lands of northern South Australia to become Community Constables.
After initial training in their home communities, Dale Lyons and Carl “Wakupi” Roberts, recently graduated from the South Australian Police Academy in Adelaide. They have since returned home to begin service as Community Constables, a role that both of their grandfathers fulfilled.
Community Constables help the local police officers in various ways and especially by providing assistance in issues related to language and culture.
Dale, 26 from Amata has had an interest in joining the police force since going on Community Night Patrols a number of years ago.
Dale said he found the training in Adelaide exciting and wants to serve his community for a long time to come, interacting with the elders and the families of the community.
Carl, 21 from Fregon will be based in Mimili Police Station. He has had a desire to join the force since he was a young boy. Since completing school he has worked as a Remote School Attendance Officer in Fregon and is the President of the Kaltjiti Junior Sports and Activities Club—the first incorporated club on the APY Lands.
Carl’s record of community service attracted the attention of two police officers who encouraged him to become a constable.
“I joined because my grandfather was a police aide back in the days, so I’m just following his footsteps,” Carl said.
“And I want to make my community a better and safer place to live for everyone.”
Both young men will continue with on the job training over the next 12 months, but already they are a success for their local communities and for South Australia Police.
Dale has played an important part in a Community Safety meeting in Amata, while Carl had a hero’s welcome at the Fregon School where he worked as a School Attendance Officer and is helping develop structured sport and activities for the local children.
Both wati’s (initiated men) have a strong desire to keep their local communities safe, and so their ability to assist local police in the APY Lands through their knowledge and skills in language, culture and contemporary issues will be a tremendous boost.
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Having a safe community to live in is critical to closing the gap in Indigenous disadvantage. It makes other important things possible, like getting kids to school, helping them achieve good results and getting adults into jobs.
Through the Indigenous Advancement Strategy funded Safety and Wellbeing Programme, the Australian Government is helping to make Indigenous communities safer.