By Denise Deason
YRIPP (Youth Referral and Independent Person Program) is appealing for volunteers to be on call for the Werribee and Laverton police stations.
The program is aimed at getting young people who have a brush with the law back on the straight and narrow.
It has been successfully piloted at Footscray, Sunshine and Keilor Downs and plans are now under way to introduce it to 103 police stations in Victorian metropolitan and regional areas over the next two years.
The YRIPP West Metropolitan regional coordinator, Michelle Chumbley, said they were seeking 20 new volunteer independent people so the program could be operational at Werribee and Laverton by March next year.
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The next police stations to be staffed by YRIPP volunteers will be Williamstown, Altona North and Melton.
The scheme, which is funded by the Department of Justice, provides full training for the volunteers.
Ms Chumbley said that the Crimes Act requires that when police question a person under 18 years in relation to an alleged offence, a parent or guardian must be present at that interview.
When a parent or guardian is not available, an independent person is required.
“Our volunteers go on a roster to provide a 24-hour, seven day a week call-out service,” she said.
“So far we have been dealing with all types of alleged offences, including burglary, aggravated assault and shoplifting.
“The volunteers are trained to understand police processes, youth rights and the challenges of culturally-diverse youth and those who are newly-arrived in Australia.
“They are not there to give legal advice – a lawyer does that.
“They are there to support the young person through the police process and ensure he or she understands their rights and what is going on.
“As a former independent person myself, I could see the value from the time I walked into the police station to the time I left.
“The anxiety of being in a police station is in itself overwhelming but the work we do makes young people feel a lot more at ease.
“We also ask them if there’s any ongoing assistance they may like such as a referral to drug and alcohol counselling or organisations dealing with accommodation, work, education and training.”
YRIPP program manager Sally Reid described the initiative as a valuable addition to the youth justice landscape and an important service for young people, especially those who were vulnerable.
“The program aims to divert young people, including refugee, newly-arrived and indigenous, from progression to higher levels of the criminal justice system,” she said.
To become a volunteer you need to be over 18 and undergo a police check.
Present volunteers come from a diverse range of backgrounds including law students, business people and retirees.
If you are interested, contact Francesca Pagani, YRIPP Administration Officer, on 9340 3777 or email admin@yripp.org.au.
