Policing in South Australia’s remote and rural communities: preliminary observations from a novel police diversionary strategy for young Indigenous offenders

Abstract

The South Australia Police Future Directions Strategy, published in 2003, committed its members to maximizing participation of diverse community groups in policing programs and strategies. To that end, South Australia Police have introduced a unique police diversionary strategy for young Indigenous offenders that has been implemented in two remote regions of South Australia. This paper begins by surveying the current landscape of relationships between policing and Indigenous Australians. It then introduces the novel diversionary strategy and makes a preliminary assessment of the ability of rural and remote police to enter into professional partnerships with existing community and legal networks.