Having a casual chat with a member of the police, asking for directions or reporting something suspicious, is part of everyday life in Australia.
However, many refugees, particularly from countries with conflicts in Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia, see law enforcement agents in a very different light and are fearful when approached by local police on patrol.
Catherine, a refugee from Iraq, admits that she always feels uneasy when seeing police.
Many refugees, says psychotherapist Charlotte Stapf, who has Iranian heritage, share this fear of police because of the injustices they have experienced in their former homelands.
Police in all states and territories know about the distrust many refugees and new arrivals have towards law enforcement agents.
In NSW, police is trying a novel approach towards bridging the gap.
Coffee with a Cop is the brainchild of Police Superintendent Peter Lennon.
His initiative has brought together about 50 refugees, community members, school students and police for an informal morning meeting at Fairfield Public School in Western Sydney.
And a friendly meeting it was with smiling senior officers mingling with the crowd, police hats being passed around freely for numerous selfies and colourful highway patrol cars available for inspection.
Those who attended the meeting enjoyed it.
Apart from building bridges between police and refugee communities, the meeting also offered an opportunity to inform the community about the rules and regulations that apply when police are called to an incident.
Assistant Commissioner Frank Minelli is in charge of the Sydneys south-west metropolitan region which has more than 140 different cultures.
He says a common reason police interact with ethnic communities is when theyre called to investigate a large gathering of youngsters which can alert shop owners and other citizens.
He says police officers can question anyone but like to do it in a friendly and amicable way.
If arrests are made, Assistant Commissioner Minelli says, the person affected will be told their rights and if necessary, interpreter services will be involved for assistance.
In serious cases, the arrested person will stay at the police station over night before release.
Assistant Commissioner Minelli acknowledges that some refugees, particularly those from war-torn countries, could have different attitudes to crime.
Psychotherapist Charlotte Stapf says combined with a deep-rooted distrust of police, changing the mindset takes time.
They can overcome their fears. I think that the longer they are here and they see the positive impact our police has and how polite they are and that they are trustworthy and honest the more they will come out of that state of fear. But it will take some time, thats for sure, yes.
Coffee with a Cop days have now been rolled out to police commands across NSW.
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