Illawarra high school students, teachers walk in police officers’ shoes

The students and six teachers donned riot gear, toured Wollongong police station and were given a fingerprinting demonstration as part of the Community Awareness of Policing Program.

“It’s designed around walking in the shoes of police officers for the day,” relieving Wollongong Local Area Commander Superintendent Paul Condon told the Mercury.

“We look at them to start forming that relationship now with the police; whether they’re going to be police officers themselves … or they’re going to be leaders within their own right but have interaction with police.

“It humourises the police to them and gives them that conduit between their own civilian life and what police officers do day-to-day, because most people only see police when bad things are happening.  

Annabel Cook, from Wollongong’s St Mary Star of the Sea College, said the experience had opened her eyes to the world of policing. 

The 17-year-old, who is in year 12, was impressed by the station tour, which she said offered a look at the crucial behind-the-scenes work undertaken by police.

“Usually when you’re looking at a police officer you just think initially the idea of they’re just fighting crimes … but once you go inside the station you actually see people behind them working,” she said.

“We’ve done a lot of activities that really engaged us and showed us the ways that police and criminology experts work.”