Queensland Police Service's Walk of Life program has received a silver award in the police-led category of the 2022 Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Awards (ACVPAs).
Now in their 30th year, the ACVPAs recognise best practice in the prevention or reduction of violence and other types of crime in Australia. They play a vital role in highlighting effective community-based initiatives to prevent crime and violence, before it actually occurs.
The Walk of Life program commenced in 2015 and provides school-aged children in Queensland with vocational training to develop work ready skills.
"The program was developed by Queensland Police and combines with a registered training organisation to target at-risk children and influence a perspective of change," Queensland Police Inspector Anne Vogler said.
"It addresses barriers to learning using police child protection systems and operates within a school to address child needs using a multiagency response. We also incorporate Indigenous content relevant to all students to facilitate reconciliation and understanding of Country."
"This program has developed positive student relationships and attitudes towards police, particularly among those at-risk of engaging with the criminal justice system," said Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) Deputy Director, Dr Rick Brown.
These annual awards recognise the outstanding contributions being made across Australia for crime prevention, including the development and implementation of practical projects to reduce violence and other types of crime in the community.
The awards are a joint initiative of the Australian, state and territory governments and are delivered by the AIC. All projects are assessed each year by the ACVPA Board, which consists of senior law enforcement representatives from each state and territory police service, and is chaired by the AIC Director.
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