By Victoria Stone-Meadows
POLICE officers in the City of Casey area have been getting to know residents over a hot cup of coffee as part of the Coffee with a Cop program.
The program aims to bring police and the communities they protect closer together by making police officers more accessible.
Members of the community are able to access their local police officers in non-crisis situations and in the relaxed atmosphere of a cafe or shopping centre.
Thursday 22 September saw police officers from Cranbourne and Narre Warren police stations at a cafe in the Fountain Gate shopping centre speaking to community members.
Acting Sergeant at Narre Warren police station Geoff Howe said the experience was very worthwhile and he was keen to do it again.
“It was a really good experience and I would do it again for sure.” he said.
“I was a bit hesitant beforehand, wondering if it was going to be a waste of time but it was great.
He said many residents raised concerns with him regarding the number of burglaries that have occurred in the Casey area, but added that he assured people they were actually quite rare.
“It is very rare these incidents actually occur and members of the public should feel safe,” he said.
“They only get attention and small incidents seem big because of the type of incident.”
“I have worked for Victoria Police for 12 years and Casey is pretty safe and nice place to live; it hasn’t really changed just got busier.”
Sgt Howe said his favourite part of the day was the kids on school holidays who came to meet their local police officers.
“Lots of kids were dressed up as police which was just great,” he said.
To find out when the next coffee with a cop meet up is, keep an eye on the “Eyewatch – Casey Police Service Area” Facebook page for details.
