Police Academy Visit

On Friday 21 July, our Student Wellbeing Action Group (SWAG) had an amazing opportunity to visit the Police Academy in Glen Waverly. Thanks to the kind invitation from Neil Soulier, CEO of Blue Ribbon, our students attended a graduation ceremony, took an inspiring tour, and enjoyed afternoon tea with Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent. It was an insightful and eye-opening experience for our students. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Police Academy for their warm hospitality and for providing such a valuable learning opportunity. 

Student Reflections

Ellie F (Year 8)

The Wellbeing Leadership team had the privilege of visiting the Victorian Police Academy on July 20th. We had an amazing time learning about the police and the vigorous ways they train. One of my favourite parts of seeing the Academy, was seeing the newly added domestic violence unit. We were able to visit the scenario rooms, where they have setup a family home look alike. There was a realistic robot baby doll, that we were able to hold, and the instructor showed us how they program her to fit each scenario the police use in their training. We found out lots of interesting facts about family violence. Part of the realism of the scenario training is that the Academy get actors in to play the families, and the police don’t know the scripts. This allows them to learn to predict the unexpected when entering a violent environment.

Overall, I had an amazing time and am so grateful I got to experience this. It was amazing to build our connections with the police and learn what it takes to be a part of the Victorian Police Department.

Ruby B (Year 8)

I was one of the few that was able to see the Victorian Police Academy, this experience is one not to forget. The Wellbeing and Crime Prevention team were able to see the amazing Academy at its finest. We were able to see many components of the school, but my favourite was the scenario village. When we first walked into the village, it was like walking into a ghost town. The streets and the buildings were empty, it was like you could hear a pin drop. The village had a pretend bank, gas station, bar, houses, and my personal preference, the train station. The instructors can change and manipulate the town to help prepare the students for real life situations. As we walked through the buildings, we got to talk about how they were used and what the police would do in the scenarios. One interesting feature of the town was that all the names of the streets were names after police that died on duty. In the scenario village, they used paint guns to simulate real ones. The ground was scattered with the paint shells and sadly we couldn’t souvenir them.

Seeing the Academy was an incredible privilege and has shined a new light on police and what extensive training they go through. This has definitely made me respect police more.

Annabel G (Year 8)

During the excursion, we had the privilege of touring the stunning facilities, including a fake scenario village, domestic violence unit, and many more. A highlight of the trip was the elegant chapel built in the 1970s, where the graduation took place. It was a beautiful celebration for the end of their 32-week hands-on program in the Academy. Here, police learn to think on their feet, use weapons in self-defence, attend a fitness program, master how to respond in real-life situations, and study the laws and rights of every citizen. The day concluded with an afternoon tea with Rick Nugent (Deputy Commissioner) and Neil Soullier (CEO of the Blue-Ribbon Foundation). On behalf of the Wellbeing Team, we would like to thank them for all their efforts in making this experience possible. We would also like to extend our thanks to Chris and Michelle from Moorabbin Police for accompanying us and working closely with us over the past few weeks on ways to improve our community.

Sofia Y (Year 9)

On Thursday, July 20th, our Student Wellbeing Action Group and Crime Prevention group were invited to visit the Police Academy. We were taken on an extensive tour of the grounds and visited some amazing places such as the shooting range and practice courtroom. We were then invited to lunch and afternoon tea, where we met the Deputy Commissioner of Victoria Police. Afterward, we watched the graduation ceremony which was an amazing experience for all of us. 

Ms Deb Kirk (Assistant Principal) & Ms Dilek Yucel (Psychologist, Head of Wellbeing)