Australia is seeing the highest number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policing students commence the Associate Degree in Policing Practice, with the increase in numbers attributed to the cohesive relationship between Charles Sturt University (CSU) , TAFE NSW, and the NSW Police Force, and their current program to attract students.

 

Head of the School of Policing Studies at CSU, Associate Professor Rosemary Woolston and lecturer Mr Paul Comino are encouraged by the recent enrolment of 25 new Indigenous students to the degree.

 

“It’s a drive from NSW Police to raise numbers to represent the community and to meet the needs of Indigenous people within that community,” Mr Comino said. “It’s great to see the 25 Indigenous students joining the 27 other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who are further along in their studies at the School of Policing.”

 

According to the NSW Police Aboriginal Employment Strategy 2009 – 2012 (AES), the vision is to be an employer of choice for Aboriginal people by the implementation of effective attraction and retention strategies. It aims to facilitate employment and career development opportunities in an environment which is supportive and inclusive of Indigenous people. The AES also aims to ensure that the knowledge and experience brought by Indigenous recruits is used to improve policing services.

 

The IPROWD (Indigenous Police Recruit Program Out West Delivery) program is the product of a partnership between the Western Region NSW Police Team, Western Institute of TAFE Foundation Studies and CSU, originally designed to provide Indigenous people from western NSW with the necessary academic and physical requirements to join the Police Force. Aimed at Indigenous people interested in becoming police officers, the IPROWD bridging program was first offered in Dubbo in 2008. Delivery of the program was expanded in 2009 to include an offering in Tamworth, and plans are currently underway for a broader implementation at other locations in NSW.

 

“Over the years there have been a number of programs designed to attract and retain Indigenous students but we feel the IPROWD program is the most successful so far because of the commitment and partnerships that have been set up,” Professor Woolston said.

 

IPROWD is an 18-week program comprising the Certificate III in Vocational and Study Pathways and tailored activities to assist students navigate the recruitment processes of NSW Police. These include understanding and fulfilling the medical and fitness requirements for admission to the Police Force, while also enabling candidates to obtain the language and learning skills required for enrolment into the Associate Degree in Policing Practice at the CSU Goulburn Police Academy. These academic requirements have been identified as a barrier to recruitment for many Aboriginal people.

 

“The primary role of the IPROWD program is to make students academically and physically eligible but it’s more than just qualifications,” Mr Comino said. “As part of the course students spend three days at the Police Academy familiarising themselves, getting a feel for the place and spending time with current students. The transition process to university study means that students are well prepared when they come to Charles Sturt University and are more likely to do well in the course. IPROWD prepares them academically and psychologically.”

 

At the successful completion of the course, the students are not necessarily following a pathway into the NSW Police Force but all are positively affecting the community, says Mr Comino. “They’re walking out with a good qualification and we’ve seen graduates working in an Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer role, one is studying Psychology full-time at Charles Sturt University and two other female IPROWD students have become General Support Officers with the NSW Police.”  

 

“The NSW Police Force aim to increase the proportion of Aboriginal people employed by NSW Police from two to four per cent and I believe we can achieve this in the next five years thanks to our commitment and collaboration.”