To celebrate Harmony Week and to embrace our members' cultural, linguistic, religious and spiritual diversity, this week, we will be looking at members of the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) community within the Service.
Introducing Senior Police Liaison Officer Li-Shan Huang
Senior Police Liaison Officer (PLO) Huang; known by friends and close colleagues as Purdy brings her own Taiwanese culture and passion for understanding others to her role.
Working for the QPS
Senior PLO Huang started her Queensland Police Service (QPS) career in 2001 as an administration trainee before becoming a PLO in 2002.
She is currently based at Upper Mount Gravatt Police Station, attached to the South Brisbane District Crime Prevention and Cross Cultural Unit.
When asked about what makes her role so interesting, Senior PLO Huang said she enjoys uniting with different community groups on their differences and embraces the uniqueness of everyday.
"I love being able to explore and connect with diverse community members," Senior PLO Huang said.
"The people I meet make everyday different.
"From providing operational assistance to engaging with these different communities, I am constantly learning all kinds of new things about others' circumstances and cultures."
Senior PLO Huang recognised that her fellow PLOs each have a passion and knowledge base, not dissimilar to her own.
"Within my workplace, every individual police liaison officer has his or her own individual, unique strengths and cultural expertise to bring to their district."
Cultural background
Senior PLO Huang grew up in Taiwan.
She speaks Mandarin, Taiwanese/Hokkien and Cantonese and is one of the few certified translators at the QPS.
"Taiwanese culture is a blend of indigenous, traditional Chinese, as well as Dutch and Japanese.
"All in all, I believe we should all embrace the history of our own cultures and find a way to bring those backgrounds together, into the future."
Senior PLO Huang likes to impart components of her culture on others softly and with consideration.
"I love to share my values of my upbringing in Taiwan with passion, patience and acceptance."
Senior PLO Huang also likes to share her culture with her colleagues, telling us about the benefits of the tea ceremonies she sometimes runs.
"As a lay Buddhist, I like to share my tea ceremony in the workplace as a meditating tool to retrieve peace, clarity and compassion to self and with others."
Whether it's among fellow QPS employees or members of the community, Senior PLO Huang has an empathetic approach to dealing with community members and assisting them through there situations.
"I understand that it is difficult to make changes suddenly, especially in our present, quickly transforming and complex society.
"I like to use my Taiwanese heritage to find common ground with those who need help.
"I feel that by understanding them in this way, I am better placed to translate or experiences into how things can work here, in Queensland and with the QPS."
Senior PLO Huang is also confident that a PLO role could be right for other people with similar backgrounds.
"This is the right job for you if you can see the similarities and differences amongst every human being regardless of their culture or language.
"If you are willing to cultivate passion, patience and acceptance to work with all kinds of people within your community, then you will find this job rewarding."
Harmony Week
Being so passionate about connecting and helping people from different cultures, Senior PLO Huang has a strong view on Harmony Week.
"In the aim of creating a harmonious community, we all need to make effort, not only during this week, but every day in our lives," Senior PLO Huang said.
"Harmony Week definitely highlights the joy of how we can embrace the diversity of different cultures and faiths in our community or country, and how we can take this opportunity to acknowledge the similarities and differences of so many ethnicities.
"Really, 'we are all and we are one' and as the Chinese philosopher, Confucius says, "a great community requires harmonious human relations".
"I hope we can all continue to use our differences to come together."
Recruiting police officers from a range of backgrounds is essential to ensuring the QPS reflects the cultural diversity of the community and provides effective policing services.
To find out more about culturally and linguistically diverse recruiting pathways within the QPS, visit https://www.police.qld.gov.au/culturally-and-linguistically-diverse-recruiting.
