Taking 'P' out of PCYC

Concerns have surfaced that police will be taken out of Albany’s Police and Community Youth Centre after it was revealed officers will be removed from full-time PCYC management roles across WA.

Picture by Laurie Benson: Sen. Const. Terry Eaton.

Albany MP Peter Watson attacked the move, saying no thought had gone into the decision.

Mr Watson said Albany had the best PCYC in WA and removal of the centre’s award-winning manager, Sen. Const. Terry Eaton, would be a huge loss for the community.

“We worked really hard to get a good PCYC down here and now in one fell swoop they’re going to take the most important part of the PCYC, and that’s the P,” Mr Watson said.

A WA Police spokesman said a number of reviews over the past 30 years had identified a need to refocus police efforts away from PCYC administrative roles towards frontline offender management.

The spokesman said instead of managing PCYCs, police would be moved back to police stations but would continue to run programs at centres and engage with youth.

The spokesman said WA Police had recently created a Youth Policing Division designed to address youth policing issues and expand multi-agency youth initiatives.

He said from July 1 the division would assume responsibility for managing the relationship between WA Police and the Federation of PCYC, and would report to Assistant Commissioner for judicial services Wayne Gregson.

Police Minister Rob Johnson said removal of police from PCYC administrative roles meant police would have more time to work with priority offenders and youth at risk.

Mr Watson rejected the claim.

“It’s just not the same as having a police presence there all the time,” Mr Watson said. “With the skate park right next door, (Sen. Const. Eaton) knows everyone out there and they trust him.”

Sen. Const. Eaton, who has been Albany PCYC manager for 17 years, spoke to the Albany Advertiser about the issue before receiving a directive not to speak to the media.

He said the role of full-time police engaging and developing trust with young people was crucial at PCYCs.

“Once I walked into a gym class and this little one just screamed because his dad had been carted off by police doing the wrong thing, so to win that young child back and get them back to thinking that we are there to support them and help them through life is important,” he said.

“The last thing that I’d want to hear is that the P had been taken out of the PCYC.”

The spokesman said details were being finalised, but a staged withdrawal of officers would occur State-wide until 2013, with no officers removed in 2011.

Got an story? Email keir.tunbridge@albanyadvertiser.com