Last month, the Public Safety Response Team (PSRT) conducted the second Mates in Blue program at the Queensland Police Service Academy in Brisbane.
The Mates in Blue program is a joint Queensland Government partnership initiative, initiated and developed by Acting Inspector Tony Del Vecchio and Regional Youth Support Coordinator Ms Vicki Ogilvie from the Queensland Department of Education.
The three-day program offered classroom lessons, group exercises, practical sessions and role playing, where all students participated at a high level with their mentors.
Mentors were assigned to each student for the entirety of the program to positively influence their thinking, actions and approaches to stressful situations without reverting to anger or violence.
Acting Inspector Del Vecchio said that the program has provided an excellent opportunity to work collectively and collaboratively with Youth Support Coordinators and to continue to build solid relationships with vulnerable young people through positive role modelling.
“The program is aimed to break down