The NSW community police initiative of “coffee with a cop” has spread across the border into Canberra

By Peter Brewer, The Canberra News
Original article HERE

ACT police sergeant Max Mokrij shares a coffee in Lyneham with Leeah McDermott, who was in the local area and stopped by for a chat.One of Canberra’s most experienced community police officers regrets that for many people, dealing with his officers commonly happens in formal settings, or during periods of high stress or trauma.

So when Sergeant Adrian Craft joined his team members to enjoy a informal cup of coffee with members of the community in Lyneham on Wednesday, he was keen to embrace the benefits of the “coffee with a cop” initiative.

The concept is one which started in NSW last year, and 12 months later has now spread across the border.

“We should be interacting with the public as much as we can because officers are members of the community, too,” Sgt Craft said.

“There’s a general perception out in the public, correct or otherwise, about what being a police officer is like and the work we actually do.

“And a lot of that is shared through watching American TV shows and things like that.

“The reality of policing is often quite different to the perception you’ll see on on the television.

“What we’re trying to do is re-introduce the concept that we’re human beings, we live in the community like everybody else, and we share the same concerns about issues in our community.”

“Coffee with a cop” in Lyneham was a first for ACT police and the apparent success means there’s likely to be many more across Canberra.

“I like the idea,” said Sergeant Max Mokrig, who works with the Regional Targeting Team around Canberra’s licensed pubs and clubs, and dealing with alcohol-fuelled violence around the city.

“Our foot patrols are often out and about chatting with people but this gives people in an area more of a focus; they know police will be at a certain coffee shop at a certain time and they can come down, have a coffee, and have a chat.”

Police in the ACT enjoy a level of community support which exceeds the national average, according to a national survey standard.

In the ACT, 88.3 per cent of the community members surveyed had confidence in police, compared with the national average of 84.6 per cent. Satisfaction with ACT police was at 82.5 per cent, also above the average.