Melanie Riley
COFFEE with a Cop made its return at the Mount Gambier Marketplace, bringing together police officers and the local community for another engaging event.
Members of the community were treated to a free coffee and were given the opportunity to ask questions or just have a chat with local police personnel, including two members of the Water Operations team.
Senior Constable Deb Edwards said the initiative was a great opportunity to connect with the local community in a more relaxed setting.
“It allows us to engage with the community in an environment that is a little more welcoming to them if they don’t feel like coming into the police station,” she said.
“It’s nice to be able to come out and maybe give some people a different perception of police as well.
“We were fortunate enough to have the Water Operations guys down today – if we can get different members out, then different questions can be asked.”
The event is welcome to everyone, and Snr Con Edwards said she enjoys connecting with a range of different people from the community.
“We do these every two months, and we can range from speaking to 20 or 30 people, or more,” Snr Con Edwards said.
“We’ve found them a really good way to interact with the community.”
The next Coffee with a Cop will be held in the Marketplace food court in October – please see the Marketplace website for date confirmation.
