Building partnerships is what Police Ethnic Services teams do – even if it means getting a bit wet.
Tāmaki Makaurau Police Ethnic Services Team, led by Police Ethnic Liaison Coordinator Justin Zeng, recently dived into some water safety training.
It comes after Water Safety New Zealand's 2022 Annual Drowning Report showed a record 94 people lost their lives to drowning in Aotearoa in 2022. That's the highest annual drowning loss in the past decade and 15 per cent higher than the 10-year average.
Partnering with Drowning Prevention Auckland and Auckland Council, Police invited ethnic community leaders to have a day at Browns Bay Beach on the North Shore to learn about water safety.
Participants included people from China, India, Haiti, Korea, Japan, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Middle East, Malaysia and even some local Kiwis.
“It was a such fine day," says Justin. "Participants not only received classroom-type water safety knowledge but also received field training, such as how to correctly wear life jackets (right), how to recognise dangers in the water and how to deal with emergency situations.
"It was a theory plus practical day, and participants promised they will actively promote what they have learned to their respective communities.”
Police Ethnic Responsiveness Manager Tāmaki Makaurau Jessica Phuang, QSM, says the day was a success.
“After the activities at the beach we received some great feedback from the attendees," she says. "Feedback was extremely positive."
This included...
- “I thought I knew all about the water, but after today, no, I realised I knew so little”
- “I learned so much that I must share with our members”
- “I must invite Drowning Prevention to come and talk to our group”
Madison Chang from Drowning Prevention Auckland says he's appreciative that through this partnership, they were able to reach out to a diverse community group.
“When the hot summer is approaching, we have even stronger needs to be equipped with knowledge and experience on water safety," he says.
"Thanks to Police’s outreach towards ethnic communities, they’ve helped change perceptions and behaviours.”