Educating migrants on police role

An upcoming seminar for migrants aims to help raise awareness of the police’s role and ways of keeping and feeling safe in New Zealand.

Citizens Advice Bureau Rotorua has been providing a face-to-face information service for new migrants under a contract with the Ministry of Immigration for more than six years.

The purpose of the service is to arm migrants with information on all the issues they need to know about to make settling into the New Zealand way of life easier.

As part of the contract, the bureau is also required to provide migrants with the opportunity to find out more in-depth information on topics that are relevant to settling in to the Kiwi way of life. One of these seminars is planned for August 30, and is called

An Introduction to the Police and Keeping Safe in New Zealand.

Presented by Rotorua’s ethnic liaison officer, Constable Weiwei Verran, the seminar will cover topics such as the role of the police in New Zealand, reporting crime, keeping yourself safe, Neighbourhood Support and the role of the ethnic liaison officer.

Rotorua bureau manager Jane Eynon-richards says, “Depending on where people come from in the world, the attitude to police can be quite different. “This seminar will hopefully raise an awareness that the police are here to help people and enhance their feeling of safety in dayto-day life.”

The free session will last just over an hour and there will be an opportunity to ask questions. For more information and to register to attend, contact the bureau by calling (07) 348 3936 or emailing rotorua@cab.org.nz.