The initiative is part of a roll out of forums with Aboriginal people across the LAC, but is open to all members of the community.

As part of the week’s forums, police yesterday met with Year 10 and 11 Aboriginal students at Denison College of Secondary Education (Kelso campus).

Inspector Chris Sammut said the state-wide program, which has been running since 2012, has as number of key areas: Community safety; improved communications and understanding between police and Aboriginal people; reduced involvement and improved safety of Aboriginal people in the criminal justice system; and Aboriginal youth offending.

Inspector Sammut said the aim of meeting the high school students was to put good practices in place between the two groups.

“It’s an opportunity to speak to the kids, let them know about it and be aware of it and that their voices will be heard,” he said.

“Our main objective is working together to identify issues that the local Aboriginal communities have, in an effort to engage them, to reduce crime, reduce fear and increase public safety.”

Chifley LAC’s newly-appointed Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer Percy Raveneau was also introduced to the students.

He said it was important that students know police are there to work with them.

“We’ve got to work with them and the police are there for their benefit,” Mr Raveneau said.

Inspector Sammut said Police and Aboriginal Consultative Committee (PACC) meetings will soon be rolled out across the region.

“That’s a way we can identify local community issues among the Aboriginal people and try and work together to solve those issues as a collaborative effort,” he said.

Today’s community forum will be held at the Bathurst City Community Club at 1pm, with all members of the community invited to attend.

“That’s more of an opportunity for us to engage the Aboriginal community as a whole,” he said.

“If there’s an issue that we should hear about, we’d love to hear it and we’d love to meet the people.”