Multicultural police drive

SPEAKING four different languages has come in handy for Bridgewater police officer Abu Chowdhury.

The Bangladesh-born officer said he was able to catch criminals who stole from a home in 2017 due to his ability to communicate with a culturally and linguistically diverse family. He said the family had tried to report an incident and share evidence but faced a language barrier.

“The radio room couldn’t understand so they transferred the phone call to me,” he said.

“We found the offender from that call. That made me happy that I have that skill to help.”

Mr Chowdhury, who speaks Bangla, Hindi, Urdu and English, said he had experienced exclusion before, but was thankful to “feel a part of the group” with Tasmania Police.

Tasmania Police have launched a new social media campaign sharing stories from current multicultural staff to encourage CALD background people to apply.

Commander Robert Blackwood said the force had been emphasising diversity efforts over the past 18 months, “but we’ve still got some work to do”.