Alex talks about his role as a Disability Liaison Officer, and how his work as a police officer allows him to ensure everybody has access to the services they need.
Video transcript
My name's Alex Wallace. I'm a sergeant at Melbourne North Police. DLO is a Disability Liaison Officer. I'm a general duties police officer, and I'm a sergeant at Melbourne North, first and foremost.
The DLO role is a portfolio role that I look after. There's DLOs all across Victoria, so we're pretty well covered across the state to try and assist people with disabilities.
I chose to be a DLO because I felt it would be an extension of my morals, my job, and what Victoria Police does for the community.
Inclusion is really important to try and get equal access for everybody. Regardless of your stature, ethnicity, or abilities, everybody deserves the right to justice and the right to good service from Victoria Police.
I work pretty closely with the Royal Melbourne Hospital, the Independent Third Person program, and mental health services in my area.
Assisting people with disabilities through the criminal justice system looks really different depending on where they're at. They can be victims of crime, witnesses of crime, or alleged offenders. One of the ways I assist with that is by educating Independent Third Persons.
An Independent Third Person is a volunteer. They give up their time freely to assist people who are victims, witnesses, or alleged offenders. They can also sit in on RSO interviews and perform other roles. Predominantly, an ITP assists somebody with disabilities or cognitive impairments access, and to make sure they're represented to the justice system.
We've got over 100 around the state at the moment. They did nearly 5000 interviews last year, and that will be greater next year, and that continues to grow.
That's really rewarding, and I really enjoy continuing that role.
If you're thinking about joining Victoria Police, it's a fantastic career. There is so much diversity. It doesn't really matter what you're bringing to Victoria Police or what your skills are, they’ll be seen, and we can use them.
It's just about being good to people. If you treat people as you want to be treated, you'll probably come out alright I think.
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