Should funding for local police departments be redirected to social and community based programs?

Achieving a fair balance between police funding and social and community based programs is key.

Police should be demilatarised. This does not entail a funding reduction, but more money should go to social and community programs

No, and fund those programs as well

No, but cut some funding.

No, there should be police reform to ensure incidence of police brutality is reduced

Police need to be better trained and supported so that they do the job they are supposed to do and respond as required in a certain timeframe.

Some money should go to both

Not entirely, police departments are important, but replace police with unarmed community based responders for non-violent calls

Social and community programs should be a priority, but the funding shouldn't be taken from the police force.

There are merits to both, the police can make do with slightly less funding if it means more funding for programs that reduce crime

No, provide greater insight into the value the police add and the qualifications they have as well as the resources - focus on improving image and recruitment

Depends on how much funding they receive in comparison to social/community programs and which program

Increase funding and resources for local police and increase social and community based programs in communities with the demand

I believe that funding for both local police departments and social/community programs should be equal in funding.

Both are important government should add funding to community based programs which overall will overtime mean police need less personnel and resources

Maintain the current funding for local police departments, and increase funding towards social community based programs.

Yes, some funding should be redirected however a functional police force is still necessary for community safety

Funding for local police departments should be maintained particularly to increase their training within higher crime rate communities. However, funding for social and community based programs are essential to support the police and ensure community intervention within areas that do not respond to conventional enforcement, e.g. drug and alcohol rehabilitation.

no funding should not be taken from the police but should be provided to social and community based programs as well.

I believe that they should focus on funding mental health organizations and the defence forces equally

No, just decrease their funding and use it for programs, or cut other unnecessary funding and direct it towards community based programs

No, keep local police funding the same. However, still increase funding for social and communicate based programs as well.

I think both should have an equal amount of funding or have community and social groups work together with the police and each district have their own police and they are apart of our community I think a lot of people are scared of police in general and we need to help break the barrier of police and community

No, increase training and funding for police to be more effective when responding to non-violent calls. also increase community engagement.

Only where you can argue that police are overfunded and social and community based programs are underfunded, or make a case for a situation in which a social and community programs could use more funding.

No, but we need to observe the use of theses funding. this whole funding system is stupid and lazy watched.

I think that the police need more training, but that community based programs need more funding aswell

There should be less police and more community based responders, but the police that are there need better wages and training

Allow shared funding for community based responders to sort out non-violent disputes. Have the police cooperate with these programs.

No. Police should be retrained to deal with these situations better and should hire forensic Mental Health, violence and aod practitioners

Feels like police need more funding but I have close to 0 support for it while the police force are still corrupt. No one wants to fund the bad guys.

Radical reviews of police are needed. There shouldn't be competition for funding between police, and social and community based programs. Funds should be allocated where they are shown to work.

Not necessarily- police members need to trained appropriately and psychological support systems need to be put into place to aid them. If anything, we need to fund the support of bettering our community. Replacing police with unarmed community based responders for non-violent calls are also important

No, fund police the same, but increase funding and provide more support for education, social housing and lower income communities to work on preventing the issues before they occur.

no, keep current funding to the police but up the funding for unarmed responders for non violent calls

I belive that though funding for police should be kept the same but we should increase funding for local and social community based programs to help make the work load on police lighter

Both are equally important, particularly those programs to help support the connection between the police and community.

Increase police where needed and have some call outs diverted to different arms like mental health teams

No increase funding and training for police departments and include mandatory police officers in schools

Not necessarily. Funding for local police departments can stay as is. What matters is how the funding is being used and whether it is being directed to police departments that need this funding most or not.

You should choose between these two very important things. They should be seperate and funded equally. You could find the money for this by lowering the wages of incompetent or lackadaisical members of parliament.

There needs to be a combination as current methods are not rectifying the issues but police are still needed.

Not all of the money should be but perhaps some of it to allow for conversation in communities, this may create a less forceful room for change.

No. However increase funding to facilitate coresponder first response models and tailored judicial responses, like DV courts.

more community and social programs in areas of high crime, but also make sure the local police force is well funded and equipped (before funding into social programs)

The decision to redirect funding from police departments to social and community-based programs should consider the specific needs and conditions of each community. A balanced approach that includes both community investment and police reform may be necessary to effectively address public safety and social issues. Ultimately, open dialogue among community members, leaders, and law enforcement can help identify the most effective solutions for improving safety and quality of life.

Both are important, as social and community based programs may lower crime rates and reduce the need for police, but police may be needed more when there are no social and community based programs.

No, increase social and economic training for the police force and better collaboration between social services.

The repairs should police non violent higher crime rating in community as said government feedback admins

I feel like both the police and community based programs should work in conjunction with each other, and there should be increased funding for community programs.

Varies across socioeconomic conditions. How much funding should be diverted? Where are the communities most impacted by violent crimes and gun violence, etc?

instead of fully redirecting these funds, put some into the development of newer social service workers and others in the further training of officers stationed in higher crime rate communities

Funding should be provided to both areas, in the hopes that it can be reduced for policing once there is a shift in societal behaviour which should reduce the need for policing.

No, police funding should stay the same and funding for social and community based programs should be increased

No, they should train officers to also be able to recognize and handle the sorts of situations where these people would be needed and if anything add more employees that have this training to start with

to an extend, fund to local police but split the funding and invest the other half towards local social programs, specifically in disadvantaged and under represented areas

Police should be funded, however it should be ensured that police are checked for being morally right individuals with appropriate training of situations. If an officer is found to be abusing their power over regular citizens, they should be fired

No, but outcomes based measures of the effectiveness of police action and higher accountability requirements would be helpful

Some funding but police need better training all together. They also need to work WITH those programs.

Increase funding for police and military, and reduce funding for healthcare and start giving private health clinics funding to set up cancer and heart research facilities.

I believe funding should be equally divided in a way that communities have an increase and the police department have a decrease but its around 50-50 or even 60-40.

I believe the funding should be split between the Local Police and Social and Community based programs

I think they should continue to fund police to some extent but should also try to improve the policing attitudes and dramatically increase funding for social services and community based

There needs to be a holistic whole of system approach when dealing with mental health issues. Health workers should attend some call outs with police.

We need to look at expectations and current processes of police and assess whether these targets are being met.

Both. Increase community responses and better educate police in mental health, Aboriginal and TSI cultural awareness, unconscious bias etc. Defending police entirely is a bad idea. Certainly some issues that could be treated more as social/health issues rather than criminal matters.

Not all funding both police and community programs are important and crucial to the safe and healthy society

Have both community based programs whilst still having police for greater issues, rather than removing them completely.

they should add more funding into more social and public things but should spend money on police force.

No, have stricter training and/or supervision for the police departments to ensure no corruption is happening

I think funding should be split. Building a strong bond between communities and incentivising a strong justice and social bond.

Local police numbers should be increased as should the finding for social & community based programs aimed at reducing youth crime

No, fund better local police and fund housing, social services, job creation, community based programs to create healthy safe communities

I think it depends on the types of problems a community faces, if violent crime is high than funding should not be redirected. However if there’s not much violent crime maybe it should be redirected

I don't think it should be redirected, but funding definitely should be implemented for social and community based programs.

Social and community groups should have more funding but the police are an essential elements to the proper function of society and in maintaining that laws are followed by citizens accordingly, otherwise this could incite an increase in criminal action which helps no-one.

To a certain degree the police are still needed because sometimes people are dangerous and crazy but they should redirect SOME of the funding towards social and community based programs to help address the root of violence, drug use and mental illness

No because police can be good at times, but some of the money should be redirected to social and community programs.

In the major cities of Australia I believe it is not a good idea to defund the police but in the suburban's area where not much is happening I believe so

continue funding police but increase funding to include social and community based programs and response to crimes where it could be beneficial

I think we should improve the police system first then support the programs without removing funding.

Police funding should be directed to actual public safety matters and not the popular vote.
Police funding should be prioritized to issues with the largest viable improvement to public safety. i.e Domestic violence street crime not firearm offences such as gel blasters

I think that the police are corrupt but if they where to be abolished it would lead into an increase in crime so instead of funding more local police departments they should work on fixing already prior issues.

Split funding depending on crime rates and have a minimum percentage set aside for community and social initiatives.

No, but police should have special training in social and local community issues and be more involved in positive community based programs.

The police can then support those in social and community based groups, whilst also reducing criminal activity in regards to others who need urgent help

I believe funding should be dependent on the individual community and crime rates/nature of the communities

Increase funding in higher crime areas preform heavy background checks on officers to see if their racist have a criminal record any major mental health issues as well as put funding into rural community and social programs

The police departments should still exist as a body of the government but they should not have a wide arsenal of lethal weapons, and defunding will only cause issues in the long term for crime rates, instead, extensive reforms to the police structure/establishment is much more needed than a 'bandage solution' which will have long term negative consequences.

Law enforcement is important but it should definitely be reformed to be more humane and may even require more spending.

Both, increase reconciliation between the police and the community, while simultaneously providing funding towards social programs and community based policing.

Both should be funded equality

Yes, but we need a holistic and rehabilitation approach to crime.

Increase funding in order to properly train and remove officers who pose any sort of threat to the community and hold them all accountable to their actions

No but community and social programs should be funded and improved as well

No, the police should work independently from the government and not have the government be able to control the police.

No, but have the police be made aware of the fact that they have no real power of the people of the country they are serving.

Depends on how this would be done

The whole system needs to be remade so needs more funding in right way.