In the world of politics, governance and policing, there are
many taboos that cannot be aired or even discussed publicly as the consequences
of making these policies public can be detrimental to the individual for breaking confidentiality,
as the policies may not be to the benefit of society as a whole.
Certain orders are passed down in the form of ‘word of mouth’,
as there can be no incriminating paper trail, which must be strictly adhered to.
Suburbs have their own demographics and as a result their
own socio economic issues. Interviews with police have netted that in Melbourne’s
growing suburban areas, most domestic disputes are as a result of financial
difficulties of their inhabitants, some sources say as high as 80%.
As a result there is a disturbing trend for persons in need
of police assistance not to be seen by officers as soon as possible, but rather
waiting time can exceed 2 hours. Some cases can be life threatening and police
assistance is nowhere to be seen. The classic excuse is that either a police
station is closed, or the officers are on another ‘job’.
Police have been instructed not to attend domestic violence
situations promptly, but rather to take the approach that the situation will
diffuse itself, so the officers will not have to be in a confrontational
position with an assailant.
The politics is for police to pursue ‘jobs’ that bring in
revenue, rather than ensuring the safety of the community, which consumes many
hours of laborious paperwork for little financial return, something that is of
a priority of police matter handling.
Criticism has recently erupted over the delayed response to
the very public disappearance of an ABC employee Jill Meagher, which has now
resulted in the apprehension of a Coburg man with the subsequent allegations of
rape and murder to be turned into charges.
Whatever the politics the facts are that not enough is done
to protect the community in high risk areas like Brunswick, Coburg and the
surrounding suburbs.
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