Liaison officers work alongside police to bridge the gap between officers and multi-cultural communities around the state. Four new officers are joining the ranks in North Queensland, including Rajabu Mudanzi, who came to Australia as a refugee 11 years ago.
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00:00 As he patrols the parks of Townsville, Rajabou Madanzi feels a sense of peace.
00:07 You see me around, they just say hello.
00:10 It's a far cry from the horrors which forced him to flee his home country,
00:14 the Democratic Republic of Congo,
00:17 before living in a refugee camp in Mozambique for more than a decade.
00:21 Because you don't trust anyone in the refugee camp.
00:24 Anyone can kill you.
00:26 But in Australia, you can plan your future.
00:30 His plan is to give back to his newfound community
00:33 as one of four new police liaison officers.
00:37 Where we come from, the police are corrupt.
00:40 Where the police are killers.
00:42 Where the police don't have a good reputation.
00:46 So what we are doing, and we continue to do,
00:49 is just continue to promote the trust and understanding
00:54 between the police and the community.
00:57 The PLOs assist police with domestic violence cases,
01:01 patrol crime hotspots and work alongside youth justice.
01:05 Police liaison officers work extremely hard
01:08 around that prevention disruption space for young people,
01:12 encouraging them and being positive role mentors
01:15 to turn them away from crime.
01:17 When Mr Madanzi came to Australia 11 years ago,
01:20 he spoke little to no English.
01:23 He's now a university graduate.
01:25 Rajabu Madanzi already speaks 10 different languages,
01:29 but plans to learn Arabic and Mandarin
01:31 to help local police better connect with cultural groups
01:34 here in Townsville.
01:36 Rajabu is a good person.
01:38 Rajabu likes to help.
01:41 So because that job is about helping others,
01:44 so I think it's certainly very good.
01:47 A positive change for Mr Madanzi and his community.
01:51 [BLANK_AUDIO]