Preston police station awarded Communication Access Symbol

Preston is home to the third Scope Communication Access accredited police station in Victoria.

Published:
Wednesday 28 September 2022 at 5:30 am
A woman and a male police officer shaking hands at the launch for Preston police station's Scope accreditation. Both are smiling. The man is holding the framed accreditation and a picture of the Scope Communication Access Symbol.
Reporting crime made easier at Preston
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Preston Police Station was recently awarded the Communication Access accreditation symbol from Scope.

The Communication Access Symbol

The Scope Communication Access symbol is nationally recognised.

The symbol means the station is communication accessible.

The Scope Communication Access Symbol. The symbol shows white icons of two people's heads facing towards each other on a blue background. There are two arrows between the heads. One arrow points towards the first head and the other arrow points towards the second head.

It tells visitors staff can communicate with people unable to speak or who have difficulty getting their message across. It also shows there are special communication tools available.

Preston police officer helping a member of the community with accessible communication. They are both looking at a communication aid book, which support speech through the use of symbols, written words, photos and image sets.

Scope accreditation

Scope is one of Australia’s largest disability service providers.

The Scope accreditation program involves police training with a specialist speech pathologist and trainer.

A qualified communications assessor then checks their communication skills after the training.

A woman and a male police officer shaking hands at the launch for Preston police station's Scope accreditation. Both are smiling. The man is holding the framed accreditation and a picture of the Scope Communication Access Symbol.

Victoria Police has worked with Scope for the last four years.

The experiences of people with disabilities reporting crime

This work aligns with the Victorian Equal Opportunities Human Rights Commission’s 2014 Beyond Doubt Report. The report highlights the experiences of people living with disability and how they report crime.

Look for communication access pins

Officers who completed the training wear a communication access pin.

This pin identifies police with the right communication skills and training.

Scope Communication Access accredited police stations

The following stations have now been accredited.

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