Sale’s Lorraine MacGillivray protects kids’ rights in police custody
Police stations are generally not where people want to be, but this Sale volunteer is playing an important role whenever she walks through their doors.
Lorraine MacGillivray doesn’t mind the late-night call outs, the hours spent in East Gippsland police stations, or even the occasional foul-mouthed teenage tirade.
The 63-year-old Sale resident says it’s all part of her role.
Lorraine volunteers for the Youth Referral and Independent Person Program, attending police interviews to support young people in custody when a parent or guardian is not available.
Whenever called, she drives to her local Sale police station — or makes the longer 70km journey to Bairnsdale — to support vulnerable teens who are alone, often scared and being charged with a crime.
“Our job is to protect the rights of the child,” Lorraine says.
“We tell them we are not police officers, we are not lawyers, we are just a person who cares that is there for them. Usually that brings about a sigh of relief. Some of these kids have a lot of stuff going on in their lives, it is very sad.
“You come back and think to yourself, I just might have made a bit of difference, to get them to think about their potential or possibilities going forward in their life.”
Law in Australia requires an adult to be present during formal police questioning of any juvenile under the age of 18.
In Victoria, the unique YRIPP program was established 16 years ago to train and keep
a pool of impartial volunteers readily available for police to access.
Program manager Lawrence Ussher says the volunteers provide a crucial checks-and-balances system.
“They are there to safeguard the young person to make sure they are able to understand their legal rights and importantly that they are given the confidence to exercise those rights if they choose to do so,” he says.
Funding for the program is provided by the state Justice Department and Victoria Police, and Lawrence is hopeful that this year the group will secure a longer four-year financial commitment.
Lorraine started volunteering for YRIPP two years ago, after seeing an ad on Facebook calling for helpers.
“It is an unusual thing to volunteer for. I was like most people — I didn’t have any knowledge of it at all,” says Lorraine, who runs an aviation business with her partner and is also a talented local rural photographer.
Her adult daughter, Kristy, believed she would be a perfect fit for the role.
“Kristy said to me, ‘Mum this is you. You have a great rapport with teenagers and you are young at heart’,” Lorraine says. “I’m a fairly outgoing adventurous person … It probably fits my personality more to do this, rather than sell raffle tickets for a good cause.”
In-depth training provided by YRIPP brought Lorraine up to speed about the legal obligations of police officers and the rights of juvenile suspects, so she can make a judgment about whether young people aged 10-17 are being treated appropriately during police interviews, bail hearings and collection of forensic samples.
Run by the Centre for Multicultural Youth, YRIPP operates an around-the-clock roster of 400 volunteers who service 160 police stations across Victoria. They respond to 3500 call-outs a year.
Lawrence says committed volunteers are difficult to find.
“They are expected to go on a roster system where they make themselves available to be contacted by police officers at any time of the day or night,” he says.
The charges some teens face are severe, and can take a mental toll on volunteers.
“It can be anywhere on the spectrum from shop theft to homicide,” Lawrence says.
“What level of engagement each volunteer has varies quite a lot. We have a small minority of volunteers who take the majority of calls.”
Lorraine is part of that small minority.
Whatever the situation, she gives each child the same level of support.
“I can really empathise with and sympathise for these kids,” she says.
“It is hard to imagine that young people get caught up in some of these things.”
Mental health first aid is made available to all volunteers. Despite facing some confronting situations, Lorraine says the personal rewards of being involved with YRIPP far outweigh the stresses.
“These kids are so vulnerable,” she says. “If that kid thinks for a second that there is one adult that actually cares about them, it’s worth it.”
● Lorraine is a nominee in The Weekly Times Heart Volunteer Awards
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