SETTING TH E Late Officers’
Despite their deaths in 2020, the dedication two officers had for improving their Being both a proud Maori man and a long-time police officer gave the late Leading Senior Constable Eddie MacDonald a unique opportunity to help change his community for the better.
A/Sen Sgt Colcott said his late colleague is fondly remembered during his time at Dandenong for his leadership in developing the “Backyard Rugby” sporting project, which organised youth touch rugby games.
Following his death in July last year, he has been remembered as a man who passionately made the most of that opportunity.
“Eddie was aware that, at that time, Pasifika youth were over-represented in the judicial system and he worked tirelessly to address this issue from within the community,” A/Sen Sgt Colcott said.
Ldg Sen Const MacDonald was the popular Crime Prevention Officer in Dandenong for 10 years, where he took a particular interest in going above and beyond to improve the lives of disadvantaged and at-risk Maori and Pasifika youth. Ldg Sen Const MacDonald died due to an illness that was likely a result of a needlestick injury he suffered while working in a custody centre in 1995 and was honoured by Victoria Police in a memorial service at Dandenong’s Harmony Square in February. Dandenong Police Station Acting Senior Sergeant Robbie Colcott said Ldg Sen Const MacDonald was a proud and spiritual Maori man, always extremely fit and athletic and was very well known and respected by his colleagues.
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POLICE LIFE | AUTUMN 2021
“The results were remarkable. “There was an instant, direct impact on street robberies, which fell by up to 68 per cent overall, and it also led to a significant improvement in robbery clearance rates.” His colleague Ldg Sen Const James Waterson remembers Ldg Sen Const MacDonald as a trailblazer and an authentic character who always genuinely had the best interests of youth in the community at heart. “He was a maverick and a fierce advocate for members of the community to support each other, regardless of their particular tribal heritage or identity,” Ldg Sen Const Waterson said.
“These ideals seemed to drive and punctuate Eddie’s career with Victoria Police. The legacy of his leadership and engagement with the Pasifika community continues today.” Youth worker Jeremy Nikora worked with Ldg Sen Const MacDonald on various initiatives. “He would be there to help people at the drop of a hat if his community needed him, no matter what time of the day or night it was,” Mr Nikora said. “He could be firm with some of the kids he dealt with, but he was also a big advocate for understanding what they may have been going through. “Eddie’s big mission was to instil in the young kids their cultural identity and that they can have a role to play in society by being themselves. “As a police officer, he represented the law and the system – which a lot of young people have a really one-sided opinion of – but by being strong in his cultural identity, that was a way he could reach out to them and be a real bridge between the police and the youth. “His passing was a big blow for us in our community, but I know his incredible efforts will live on in the lives of all the kids he has helped over the years.”
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