For Borallon Training and Correctional Centre Custodial Correctional Officer Scott Mawhinney, promoting community safety is well and truly under his skin.
He’s spent the past 30 years on the front line protecting south-east Queensland, with deployments to the Boggo Road, Sir David Longland, Wolston, Brisbane Women’s and Borallon correctional centres. He has also served in the Escort and Security Branch, and was part of the team sworn in as Special Police Constables, providing additional security during the 2014 G20 Summit in Brisbane.
Complementary to this, Scott has carried his role in crime prevention over as the Chairperson of the Crime Stoppers Ipswich Volunteer Area Committee, encouraging people to report information relating to illegal activity, and disrupting crime.
Scott’s Crime Stoppers team contains a number of QCS officers, including Committee Secretary and Intelligence Officer, Teigan Hogbin (pictured).
Crime Stoppers collects information which helps to solve crimes and enables everyday people to make a difference by anonymously sharing what they know.
“Any piece of information could help solve or prevent a crime. Being able to support anonymity can be crucial to police acting, intercepting, and preventing potentially life-threatening crimes from occurring.
“The biggest misconception is that Crime Stoppers are involved with the police, but they are not – the organisation is all volunteer based. Our slogan is ‘Tell us what you know, not who you are,'” says Scott.
The Crime Stoppers International network represents 1,200 programs operating in more than 25 countries and has allowed the general public to contribute to solving crimes on a global scale, relating to offences as serious as people and drug trafficking, illicit trade, environmental crime, cybercrime and international fugitives. Queensland alone has 33 volunteer area committees which cover 80% of the state.
Scott has been involved with Crime Stoppers for three years, and his passion for crime prevention and community awareness and engagement was highlighted with the Ipswich Area Committee taking out the Area Committee Achievement Award in 2018 for their outstanding fundraising efforts.
“Crime Stoppers offer rewards in return for crime information leading to an arrest. We’re responsible for raising this reward money through donations and sponsorships.
“Some of the things we do to raise money include Bunnings BBQs and attending community events like the Goodna Jacaranda festival and Ipswich Police Remembrance Day, but the biggest fundraising activity of the year for us is the Ipswich Crime Stoppers Race Day, coming up on 16 August.
“We’ve got seven sponsored races, a gourmet food and drinks package, fashion on the field and raffles. It’s all about engaging the community and raising money for a valuable program that helps to keep us all safe,” says Scott.
Get your tickets to the Race Day here:
Anyone can report information anonymously to Crime Stoppers.
crimestoppers.com.au
1800 333 000
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