The Victorian Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton announced initiatives to strengthen relationships between communities and police following heavy police presence against protestors during the Victorian COVID-19 lockdown and vaccine measures from 2020 to 2021. “The global pandemic took up a lot of our focus over the last two years,” Patton said. “It’s time to reset and reconnect with the community.” “Our new back-to-basics approach is about making sure we’re listening to the community and tackling the issues they care about.” As part of the now state-wide Neighbourhood Policing model, police will be engaging with the “local community to strengthen relationships, share intelligence and find out what issues people care about most,” with officers tasked to address these concerns and report back to residents on what’s being done. Police will also be partnering with local councils, community groups and government agencies for complex issues, and other initiatives such as local safety committees …