A ‘treasured’ relationship
"A threat to the Jewish community, any behaviour that harms the Jewish community, is also a threat to the Victorian community."
Earlier this week the Jewish community shmoozed with the blues at the annual Community Security Group (CSG) and Victoria Police event, at which the official launch of the Victoria Police Jewish Network (VPJN) was announced.
“It’s an auspicious day today,” said VPJN chair and co-founder Rowan Epstein. He said the launch had been in the works for three years but delayed due to COVID.
Highlighting the work that VPJN has done and will continue to do, he said, “We’ve provided knowledge to the Victorian police recruitment and New South Wales police recruitment, when they have had queries from religious Jewish applicants.”
He added that VPJN is also currently in the works to have Victoria Police kippot available for members. “The VPJN will continue to work with Victoria Police executive, local members and community organisations to better the work Victoria Police do,” Epstein concluded.
Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police Shane Patton also spoke and was an honoured guest, being the first chief commissioner to attend the annual event in its 10 years of existence.
Patton said that Victoria Police’s relationship with CSG “is one of our most treasured relationships. It’s one of our most important relationships and one of our most valuable relationships in terms of allowing us to do our work”.
He stressed that their collaboration is “vital”, as the national terrorism threat level still remains at probable, meaning that individuals and groups have both the capability and the intent to be able to carry out a terrorist attack. “Ideologically based extremism, religious-based extremism, right-wing extremism. It is still there and it is a huge threat.”
He also addressed the new legislation banning Nazi symbols, namely the swastika, explaining that when it comes into effect on December 22, “We will have trained our police and I can assure you, we will police that offence vigorously.”
“A threat to the Jewish community, any behaviour that harms the Jewish community, is also a threat to the Victorian community,” Patton said.
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