By BRIDGET COOK
THE future of a proactive program run in Casey which connects disengaged youth with police is in doubt after Victoria Police decided to cut all resources from it next year.
Operation Newstart Casey is a program developed by teachers and police who came in contact with students who were disengaged from education on a daily basis.
It is aimed at re-engaging the young people in education and, with police involvement, reduce their risk of contact with police and build that relationship.
The program, which involves 10 local schools, has run in Casey for the past six years and started off as a 50-50 partnership between Victoria Police and Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
The Casey program had a full-time police facilitator working alongside the full-time education facilitator James Seeary in the beginning.
About two years ago, Victoria Police reduced the role of police facilitators from full time and in the Casey area, the police involvement was negotiated to 20 days per school term.
This month, Mr Seeary said he has been advised that Victoria Police officers would not be available to work as facilitators at any of the Operation Newstart programs next year.
“While I want to thank the police for their input in the past six years to this wonderful partnership that helped 200 students in Casey, I’m disappointed police have withdrawn from the program,” he said.
“It’s put me in a position where I need to juggle staff to just try and keep this program alive.”
Mr Seeary said the program was financially support by the 10 Casey schools involved, but would struggle to keep it alive without police involvement.
“I’ve already got support from YSAS (Youth Support and Advocacy Service) who provide me with a youth worker two days a week,” he said.
“Headspace have also come on board and said they can provide support one day a week.
“We have an emergency strategic meeting on Monday with the principals from the schools involved, as to whether we push ahead with the modified program or stop it all together.
“Not having police involved will impact the program though and whether schools still want to fund it.
“The program is unique across the world and the police involvement opens doors for this program that many others cannot offer.”
Mr Seeary said it would be sad if the program could not go ahead.
“The police involvement is crucial in developing relationships with our at-risk kids,” he said.
“A lot of the kids involved are likely to come in contact with police, either as a victim or committing it themselves.
“The program not only encourages them to continue their education, but helps break down the view that police are the enemy.”
Victoria Police Acting Deputy Commissioner Luke Cornelius said as an organisation they were continually reviewing where police were most needed and allocated across the state.
“From 2014, no police front line resources will be directly involved with the Operation Newstart program as we transition our focus to better suit the current needs of the Victorian community,” he said.
“That is, we’ve identified a need to work more closely with disengaged school-age youth who are at risk of committing crime in our community. Adopting this focus will allow us to engage more effectively with a larger number of at-risk youth than is presently the case with Operation Newstart
“Our Youth Resource Officers who were previously part of Operation Newstart will continue to work closely with young people across the state through proactive policing measures, including patrols and presentations in local schools and forums.”
