Hills police dive into aqua aerobics with local seniors to in push to tackle crimes against elderly Aussies

Sydney police officers have dived into an aqua aerobics class with local seniors as part of a Seniors Week push to tackle a hidden crisis affecting one in six older Aussies.

Police hats doubled as swimming caps this week when officers from the Hills Local Area Command jumped into the pool with local seniors for an aqua aerobics class.

Officers certainly made a splash as they paddled their way through the special class at Waves Fitness and Aquatic Centre that was part of Hills Shire Council’s Seniors Week program.

Officers from the Hills Local Area Command joined local seniors in their morning aqua aerobics for Seniors Week. Picture: Hills Shire Council

Aqua aerobics was one of many activities on offer to older locals for free during the week-long celebration of them and their long-running contribution to the Hills community.

And for all the fun police were having in the water, the class gave officers a chance to connect with locals in a low-stakes environment, Senior Constable Michael Barnes said, and to show how they can offer a helping hand outside emergencies, too.

“It’s been identified that there are a few communities within the wider community that are victims of crime more than the general population, and seniors are one of the main ones,” Senior Constable Barnes said.

“We want to have a connection with the seniors so they’re comfortable to speak to us if they’re a victim of a crime or if they need any advice.”

Senior Constable Michael Barnes and other officers from the Hills Local Area Command before jumping in the water. Picture: Hills Shire Council

He said their presence was a small part of the week in growing seniors’ resilience and keeping them safe and connected in-person and online – given are fall “victim to fraud more than the general population” – as they age.

But another key area of safety for the Senior Constable, who is Castle Hill Police’s Vulnerable Persons Community Officer, is to raise awareness of and protect residents from elder abuse.

Data from the Australian Institute of Family Studies’ latest National Elder Abuse Prevalence Survey (NEAPS) estimates that about 598,000 – or one in six – Australians aged 65 and over experienced abuse, neglect, or exploitation each year.

“One in six is too many. One is too many,” Senior Constable Barnes said.

Officers from the Hills Local Area Command joined local seniors in their morning aqua aerobics for Seniors Week. Picture: Hills Shire Council

It found that perpetrators were not only often family members, friends or known to the victim, but that only one-third of victims reported their violence to a third party.

That data makes the NSW Ageing and Disability Commission reports that reports of elder abuse by relatives had risen 38 per cent to 8462 reports between 2020 and 2022, especially alarming.

And it makes the 4144 calls received by the Commission’s Ageing and Disability Abuse Helpline between October and December 2023 – which was 27 per cent higher than the number of calls made in the same period in 2022 – horrifying.

NSW Seniors Week is running from 11-24 March and The Hills Shire Council has a range of free events on offer for seniors.

Anyone can call the NSW Ageing and Disability Abuse Helpline on 1800 628 221 during weekday business hours for information, support or to make a report. In an emergency call 000.