Fifteen people from backgrounds as diverse as mental health, corrective services, media, education and politicians joined with police from Chifley Local Area Command to undertake the Community Awareness of Policing Program.

Introduced by Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione back in 2010, this is the second time Chifley Local Area Command has hosted the program, which is an exciting community engagement project offering the opportunity for community leaders to get to know NSW Police and the diverse range of services it offers.

Participants in the program experienced various aspects of police work, discussing local crime trends, crime prevention, investigation, operational policing, and the training, policies and protocols that guide decision making processes with the NSW Police Service.

Chifley Local Area Commander, Supt Michael Robinson said the program provides members of the community a chance to experience what it is like to be a police officer, showcasing the varied and complex duties of policing.

“The program aims to give community leaders a better understanding of the operational scenarios police can be faced on any day on any shift,” he said.

“It began on a corporate level targeting influential members of the community to give them a look at the range of work we do.”

As an occupation Supt Robinson said many people have an opinion about  what the police do and how they can do it better.

“There are a lot of arm chair experts out there,”he said, adding he hoped the program gave attendees an understanding of the split second decisions police have to make on a daily basis, in order to keep the community safe.

Supt Robinson said the program aims to demystify the profession, by giving participants a hands on experience learning about the equipment and tactics police use in operational situations, whether it be attending a siege, hold-up, domestic violence at a home or fatal car crash.

Member for Bathurst, and Minister for Local Government, Paul Toole, was one of the 15 participants and said he learnt an enormous amount from the day.

“Just to go behind the scenes and see the work they do to keep the community safe was amazing.

“And all the training they undergo and keep doing on a regular basis is incredible.

“Every situation the police go to on a day to day basis is different; they do an amazing job and it’s a job I think is often underestimated by people,”he said.