The Victoria Police Kokoda Project commenced in 2007 following the rising tensions between youth and the community residing on the public housing estates of North Melbourne and Flemington and police attached to the Flemington Police Station and the broader Moonee Valley Police Service Area.
Moonee Valley Local Area Command implemented numerous pro-active strategies aimed at decreasing the incidence of youth involvement in crime and to improve relationships between the young people, police and the broader community. The project brings together members of our Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Communities, police, Ambulance Victoria, students and teachers from 3 x different schools and corporate sponsors to walk the famous Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea. The Victoria Police Kokoda Project sought the procurement of flights to and from Port Moresby; the utilisation of a trekking company and the supply of specific outdoor adventure equipment for approximately 40 participants each year.
The project is community based and funded. It is planned, coordinated and managed by Victoria Police and has been successfully running for the past 11 years. As a result of the success of this first walk and the breaking down of the barriers and the building of relationships between police and the youth of the area police members attached to the Local Area Command confidently reinforce that the objectives sought to be achieved are continually being realised and the program continues to play a significant role in changing the lives of the youth, police and sponsors that have participated to date.
