Launched in July 2019 as part of the ‘When you need us, but not the sirens’ campaign, the services allow the community to connect with police about non-urgent crimes and events, such as: theft; lost or located property; property damage; noise complaints; neighbourhood disputes of a non-urgent nature; absence from residence registrations; and PartySafe registrations.
They can also be used to make general police enquiries.
A key stakeholder kit on the campaign is now available in multiple languages: Chinese (Simplified)/Mandarin, Vietnamese, Greek, Italian, Chinese (Traditional)/Cantonese, Punjabi, Arabic, Turkish and Khmer.
The development means that Italian-speaking members of the community can easily access information about the campaign and examples of non-urgent incidents, information about the new in-language pages on the Victoria Police website, and creative materials such as QR codes, social assets, videos and posters in Italian.
The Police Assistance Line (131 444) and online reporting service have become important tools for both Victoria Police and the community, enhancing connections between the two and ensuring resources are effectively allocated.
Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said the resources would enhance the community’s connection and access to Victoria Police.
“These new channels will also reduce the amount of time police spend taking reports on non-urgent crimes, and will improve the way we prioritise and respond to these matters,” he said when the campaign was launched.
The roll-out of the additional channels came after a six-month trial period that saw police take more than 70,000 calls.
Just over a week after the campaign was launched, the Police Assistance Line had received 100,000 calls.
