By Max Davies
A program aimed at helping teach young people about personal safety is bridging the gap between youths and authorities in the City of Whittlesea.
A workshop, hosted by Whittlesea Community Connections last week, involved Victoria Police officers and other emergency services representatives educating young people about the role of the police, young people’s rights, and how to become involved in the police force.
The interactive-style information session was at Whittlesea Food Collective in Epping on Friday.
Youth worker and session organiser Zianeb Ramadan said the event was designed to help young people from the area become more familiar with Victorian authorities.
“The aim of the program really was to help build the relationship between Victoria Police and young people,” she said.
“Young people have questions around their rights and responsibilities and how Victoria Police can support them. We’ve heard that question a lot.
“It’s been really great having the multicultural division of the police come out and have these sessions with young people themselves.”
The informal discussion focused on a theme of safety, including how to be safe at home, in public and when using public transport.
Leading Senior Constable Albert Fatileh said it was important to always take measures to be safe, even in familiar environments.
“When I get up in the morning to when I go to bed I’m thinking about being safe, I could trip on something on the way to the shower an get injured when it could have been avoided,” he said.
“Melbourne is very safe but we want to be in a position where we can know what to do in certain situations and how to deal with it.”
Fire Rescue Victoria station officer Owen Butler said it was also important to remember to be safe at home when cooking, as fires could easily start.
He gave the young people some tips on how to keep safe in their homes.
“If you’re cooking at home, don’t leave the stove unattended and try not to forget about it if you get distracted by kids, your phone or a knock at the door,” he said.
“It’s important to have working smoke alarms in the home to alert you of any fires that may have started, and you should always keep a key in the lock of your doors in case you need to escape quickly.”
Mr Butler also reminded the young people that calling triple zero was a free service to the public.
Also in attendance was protective service officer, PSO, Haroon Khan, who said there were multiple ways PSOs could help people stay safe when travelling on trains.
“PSOs can walk people to their cars late at night or lend people phones if they need to make a phone call,” he said.
“We’re [PSOs] are at every train station across Victoria so if something is wrong or you need assistance you can always come talk to us.”
The workshop was the last holiday program to be held before young people return to school for term two.
Whittlesea Community Connections hosted a series of programs during the school holidays, including a cooking workshop and cinema visit.
