February 2000 Volume 81 Number 2 "serving the protectors"
Straight to the Point
By Trevor Haskell  PASA Executive Committee Member

Community Policing - a
Riverland Insight

It was as I stood in the back of the Loxton Church observing a funeral service that I was struck by the sense of community. The sudden death of Community Constable Ade Miller had brought me in touch with his community.

As I spoke with the family shortly after his death, I started to develop a picture of a person who was deeply involved with people. His family reflected on events that had provided them with positive memories of a caring and involved partner and father with ties to the local community. I felt the “positiveness” they conveyed about his life and how Ade had made a difference. He appeared to be someone who had used his 50 years well, despite some ups and downs.

The family reflected on how proud he had been to become a police community constable. He had come into the job late in life and had only served for a relatively short period. Yet it was as if coming into the job was an extension of work that had started years before.

From speaking with his work partner and colleagues, I found the picture enhanced by memories of a larger-than-life character. I found it interesting that the strong emotions they showed were for a person who had been formally in the job for 18 months. The affection for Ade was obvious.

The funeral was as big a gathering as I have seen. The balance of those who attended was notable. They covered all aspects of the community and were not restricted by age, gender or race. There were known faces and those familiar only within the community.

Here was an example of the community-constable role that had clearly worked. I remember the debate about changing the name from police aide to community constable and here was clear testimony that the new name fitted. Ade was clearly part of the community.

It was also evident that the other local police also fitted into the community. There was an ease in how the police and public mixed. I suspect that it was even more so later at the wake.

The funeral was what Ade’s family wanted: a celebration of his life. As he had been a bridge across the community in life, so had he in death brought together the varied sections of his community to celebrate and grieve together.

Community policing is about connecting. In the Riverland I had a feeling that the local police had connected, and Ade had helped with that connection.

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