A partnership between Neighbourhood Watch and the Vietnamese community in the City of Maribyrnong was launched last Wednesday with great fanfare.
Politicians and community leaders gathered at the Quang Minh Vietnamese Buddhist Temple, in Braybrook, to celebrate the partnership which took three years to initiate, with a fireworks display and dancing.
Sergeant Ian Brown, Neighbourhood Watch police co-ordinator for the western region, said police had worked actively since 2003 in developing a relationship with the Vietnamese community.“There was an aggravated burglary down there, in Braybrook, and we had a number of meetings and decided to launch the Neighbourhood Watch program with an emphasis on the Vietnamese community,” Sgt Brown said.
“We believed there were quite a lot of people who did not understand the purpose of Neighbourhood Watch, and it was a matter of telling them we wanted them to have the same benefits as anyone, in relation to crime prevention matters.”
The temple will be the regular meeting place for the group’s activities, and each month residents will receive crime statistics and information in English and Vietnamese.
Abbot Phuoc Tan Thich was pleased to be taking part in the initiative.
“I am looking to build awareness in the area about crime,” he said.
“When people started to newly move into the area in 2003, nearly every second week there was a break-in.
“People did not report it to the police, because they thought that they had no chance to recover what they lost, they thought it was not important to report it.
“We are an ageing population in Braybrook, some members are well off and some have a bit of difficulty so they need support from time to time, and the Neighbourhood Watch is an important part of communication in the area.”
Neighbourhood Watch celebrates its 22nd birthday this year and is the longest running crime prevention program in the southern hemisphere.
Last Updated on Thursday, 12 August 2010 20:50