Nurturing the strong ties between St George Police multicultural liaison officer, the council and the local culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) community is more important than ever, Georges River Council was told last month.
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Councilly Nancy Liu submitted a Notice of Motion thanking the St George Precinct Multicultural Community Liaison Officer, Kim Fenwick and retired St George Police Senior Constable Ray Kerridge for their work in the community.
She also requested that the council continue to enhance the current working relationship with the St George Police Command and the Multicultural Community Liaison Officer in particular.
Councillor Liu called for the council to hold quarterly meetings with local police to provide opportunities for Council staff, police officers and the local culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) community work together to address safety issues and act on solutions.
"We want to work even more closely with current structure and to enhance the working relationship with St George Police Command, especially the multicultural community liaison officer," Councillor Liu said.
"We are all saddened about what happened at Bondi Junction Westfield shopping centre and the church stabbing at Wakeley," she said.
Cr Liu said she had received an email from the former St George Precinct Multicultural Community Liaison Officer, Kim Fenwick, who has transferred to another command.
"The police would like to reassure the community that safety is paramount," Ms Fenwick said in her email. "Please pass on safety messages to your community to remain calm and vigilant. Encourage them to support any suspicious activity to 000."
Deputy Mayor Elise Borg supported Cr Liu's motion, adding "Now more than ever in the light of events in Sydney in the past few weeks, we must support the incredibly important work that our NSW Police Officers do for our community in putting their lives at risk to keep our community safe. Establishing a nurturing strong partnership with St George Police Area Command, particularly the multicultural liaison officer is now more important than ever."
Council Liu thanked local police and CALD community representatives for their speeches and written letters of support for her Motioin during the public forum section at Council Meeting.
Speaking in support of Councillors Liu's Motion were: Senior Constable Sonia Krcalovic from St George Police Area Command; Tony Baddour of St George Business Chamber, Mikall Chong from Bexley Uniting Church; Ivan Wong from CASS ( Chinese Australian Services Society) and Adrian Prakash from SHARE SMR INC.
St George Business Chamber President, Tony Baddour also commended Georges River Council for recognising the importance of continually improving safety strategies within the local government area.
"By actively engaging with local law enforcement, community organisations, and residents, we can identify innovative strategies to address emerging safety challenges and build upon the foundation laid by individuals like Kim Fenwick and Ray Kerridge," Mr Baddour said.
"Whether it be through increased community policing initiatives, enhanced public awareness campaigns, or the implementation of new technologies, there are countless opportunities to strengthen the safety infrastructure of our community," he said.
