Cricket Connections

9 April 2018

Date: 09 April 2018

NSW Police and international students took part in a Study NSW supported cricket tournament at North Parramatta on Sunday 8 April to highlight and further build the strong relationship between police officers and students.

The big bash league (BBL) style T20 tournament was part of a continuous series of international student events the Police Force hosts across the state, including beach soccer and cricket matches.

Sponsored by Cricket NSW, Study NSW and Multicultural NSW, and supported by universities throughout NSW, the event saw police and international students celebrate multiculturalism and a shared passion for one of Australia’s favourite sports.

Students from Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan were invited to play with selected members of the NSW Police Force.

Minister for Trade and Industry Niall Blair said the NSW Government supported a range of community activities like cricket to help international students settle into study and life here.

“Events like these make international students feel welcome but also allow police to build rapport and trust so students can confidently approach them if they ever need help.

"NSW attracts more international students than any other state. We have over 236,000 students in more than 300,000 course enrolments creating our biggest services export industry which is worth over $10.3 billion and supports over 46,000 jobs.”

The cricket match is part of a long-term plan developed by NSW Police that aims at increasing the safety and wellbeing of people who have travelled from overseas to study.

Detective Superintendent Gavin Dengate, NSW Police Corporate Spokesperson for Safety and Wellbeing of International Students, organised the event and said police were keen to engage with international students and build on the solid relationships with them.

“It’s a great sport that has worldwide following, especially in Australia and the Indian sub-continent and this match will reinforce relationships within the community," D/Supt Dengate said.

“This is part of our plan aimed at making international students feel more confident in the police. We understand that coming to a new country can be difficult and we want the students to know that no matter what issues they have, we will be there to support them in any way we can.

“Understanding the role of police and developing a trusting relationship is a way of encouraging victims of crime to report incidents to police. Establishing a rapport with international students assists police to better target our crime prevention programs and resources."