An officer and a gentleman

Working for the Victorian Police Force has been an interesting and rewarding experience for Ash Dixit

'Do you have what ir takes?' This slogan printed on a plastic bag was to change the life of Indian business studenr Ash D ixie forever Ash, who was struggl ing to fi nd a job despite completing a Masters Degree in Business Ma nagement from &\,UT University, was about to pack his bags and head back to India when a d1ance sighting of this 1:ecruianenr ad by V ictoria Police a ltered d1e course of his life.

"M y hou semate went to the Police Museum and remrned with a b ag that said Joi11 Victo1ia Police Num 1 read it and t hought to mysel f, why n ot? l have always wanted to be a cop, so let m e give them a call. Thar was the start of my policing career," said Ash D ixie as he shared his story wid, lr,dian Li11k.

He fou nd out that u nlike India, candidates over the age of 28 were aUowed to join the police force in Victoria and he decided co apply.

"My app lication went through successfully and 1 was called in for selection much co m y delight and my parents' dismay. Being typical Indian parents they took a while to reconcile to die fact d1at 1 was about to give up a potential 'b u siness' career and become a cop instead," continued Ash.

''Many friends a·ied to dissuade me, hmve,7 er I was determined There was one major hitch, though. I did not know how co swim and d1at was a p re-requ isite for this role I rook 10 mond1 s to learn how to swim and ir wasn't easy Tbe physical was tough bur I managed to pass me swimming test a nd was pleasantl y surprised to see that I wasn't the last one out of the poo~ t here were three od1ers b ehind me," he said wi t h a laugb, reminiscing about bis eacly days in 2003 w hen be became one of the fit-st few Indians to join ch e Victorian Police Force.

Ash arrived in Melbourne from Nas ik in India in 1999, as a business student. On comp letion of his course he applied for a permanent residency. His story resembles that o f many migrants who go duough die initial str uggle to /i.nd a job a nd ro assimilate in a new environment. Ash's choice of vocation however, was quite unu sual as he joined a police fo rce that was predominantly Caucasian at mat time.

" Initially people were qui te surprised to see a non -Caucasian

Ash Dixit, Senior Constable like me when 1 went on m y beat; however over t ime I noticed t hat d1ey felt more comfortable in approaching me, especially those who belonged co muJticulmral backgrounds," claimed Ash. "Many ethnic communities have diffe rent perceptions of t he police based on their experience in d1eir own countries. Fo r example, in lndia people generally hesitate ro report a crime as the policemen in lndia are considered co be unapproachable, corrupt or ineffec tive. They carry that perception / experience witb tl1em when d1ey migrate and are reluctant to have an ythi ng to do with cops eve n if they are the victims They are also unaware o f their rights. My job is to chang e tl1at mindset," he explained.

Senior Cons tab le As h Dixie is curr ently the Community Liaison Officer for Maribyrnong Police Station. He works widi people from a wide variety of personal backgrounds, interests, academic fields of smdy, hobbies, belief systems and per so n alities. In Jun e

20 10, Ash joined former V ic corian Police Co mmi ssion er Sim on Overland in addressing m embers of the Indian m edia about Victoria P olice's drive ro attract a m o re diverse ra nge of police recruits to reflect the mti.lticuJ mralism of Victoria. Th e appeal was a way to create greater trust and understanding with the community Continuing d1is tradition of fosteri n g community relatio nships, Ash recently helped to establish the l\faribyrnong African Youd, Adva ncement Committee This initiative is to guide roung African people ro procure jobs, traineeships or voluntary work, wi th a view to gaining employment. "As a m igrant 1 can relate to tl1ese newcom e rs and understand the difficulties d1at mey face in starting afresh in a new co Lm try," said Ash.

Ash e-"'<pressed his concern over me increase in incidents involving people fro m l n dian / migrant b ackground. in Melbourn e, and said t hat there is a ten dency to underreporc victims of d omestic violence within our community

"I am keen to liaise widi the Indian communi ty to make [hem aware o f d1eir rights, to in form them about services that are available co diem and to assure then, that Victorian Po lice is ve ry approachable ," he said. "I wane di e community to know that we are here to help"

Ash's advice to people from tl,e community w ho are interested in a policing career, is to spend a couple of years in Au stralia before consid eri ng joining the force. According to him it is important to be familiar wid, die language, cul nue and lifestyle o f die community and have some lo cal work experience before joining tbe police

"I have reall)' enjoyed my job as cop for n early 10 years and would reco mmend po li cing as a career to anyone ln particular, l would encourage those from minori ty communities to join as it is critical diat we, as a service, are reflective and representative of the entire community," said Ash in conclusion.