Improving CBD safety

New Esplanade police liaison officers to bridge cultural divide on streets

l CAIRNS CBD | Isabella Guzman Gonzalez

A CROSS-Cultural Liaison Police Unit (CCLU) involving seven officers is now operating on the Esplanade, aiming to increase safety in the CBD and support culturally diverse communities.

In a joint initiative from Cairns Regional Council and Queensland Police Service (QPS), seven Police Liaison Officers (PLO) of First Nations, Pacific Islander, Japanese and Chinese backgrounds have been stationed on the Esplanade to support the council in reducing anti-social incidents in the CBD as part of the Community Safety Plan CBD – Pilot 2022-2026.

Police assistant commissioner Brett Schafferius said the CCLU would give police greater capacity to engage with the community.

“What this gives us is a greater reach of people from different backgrounds and languages to be able to provide our services to them,” he said.

“At the end of the day, the police are here for one reason and one reason only, and that’s safety across our communities. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a local or a visitor.”

Mr Schafferius said the PLOs would support frontline police officers and take on an educational role.

FNQ PLO coordinator and First Nations woman Maj-Lis Dalton said bringing cultural sensitivity into safety and crime prevention was crucial.

“We have First Nations people and multicultural communities all coexisting, and when those demographics need assistance, language can be a barrier,” she said.

“Across the communities,