Community Policing and Refugee Settlement in Regional Australia: A Refugee Voice

Abstract

Australia accepts approximately 13000 refugees per annum through its immigration program, with priority given to those in highest needs. This paper presents and discusses the findings of an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage project (in collaboration with Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) and Tasmania Police) exploring particular challenges for regional Australia in the settlement of new and emerging refugee communities. Regional Australia provides a very different context for police-refugee relations than large metropolitan centres. The focus of this research is primarily law enforcement and its intersections of difference and points of intensity with an examination of refugee-police relations and police refugee-relations in order to develop a best practice model for community policing in the context of refugee settlement in regional Australia. The qualitative data was collected in 2006-7 through focus groups and interviews with refugee communities, as well as participatory observation. The key findings address issues such as youth justice, family violence, driving offences, substance use and mental illness. The paper will argue that an understanding of 'experiential difference' by refugees, police and other service providers is crucial for enhancing the settlement experiences of refugees in new and emerging communities