Reporting crime will be made easier for people who have communication difficulties in Melbourne's north.
Preston Police Station has become the third police station state-wide to gain special accreditation from Scope, one of Australia's largest disability service providers, to better help people who are unable to speak or have difficulty getting their message across.
Research shows such issues can affect one in seven people at some stage in their life.
Preston Police Station, which operates 24 hours a day, was awarded the nationally recognised Communication Access accreditation symbol at a special event last Friday.
The symbol informs visitors that staff are able to communicate successfully with people with communication difficulties and have special tools available to help understand what people are telling them.
Preston was identified as an ideal station for the initiative as there are a number of disability services in the area.
The 16-month accreditation program saw general duties police and detectives from the crime investigation unit take part in comprehensive training led by a speech pathologist and trainer.
Their skills were then examined by a qualified communications access assessor with lived experience of a communication disability.
Officers who completed the training will wear a communication access pin to help people identify police who have the skills and strategies to communicate effectively with people who have communication difficulties.
Victoria Police for the last four years has worked with Scope to provide training to police members.
Box Hill and Geelong police stations, which also operate 24 hours a day, received Communication Access accreditation in 2019.
The partnership follows the Victorian Equal Opportunities Human Rights Commission's 2014 Beyond Doubt Report which documented the experiences of people who have a disability and how they report crime to police.
Quotes attributed to Acting Senior Sergeant Lee-Anne Hamilton, Preston Police Station:
"It's a proud moment to have this symbol displayed in the Preston watchhouse.
"We hope it shows to our community that we are absolutely committed to ensuring our services are accessible to everyone.
"Our officers have undertaken years of training and learned directly from people with lived experiences to earn this recognition.
"This important work ensures our officers have the skills and strategies to serve our entire community, no matter their level of communication.
"Everyone has a right to phone up or walk into a police station and feel heard and respected."
