Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here

Senior cop doing everything he can to turn the lives of children from Redfern around

A career cop and a respected Aboriginal elder are attempting to change the culture of Redfern for the better by showing prisoners their rehabilitation is being taken seriously.
For years, Redfern had been almost a no-go zone. A place riddled with crime and violence, too often erupting into street riots.
Shane Phillips, 52, grew up in Redfern and was determined to bring about change.
"I knew that white people were scared to come past here, I even had my own relatives from other places saying they wouldn't go to The Block. But yeah, it was tough. It was tough times. I saw a lot of death that you'd probably see in places where there was a war," Mr Phillips told Ray Martin.
"Unfortunately, I had this hatred and it was no good. I realise how bad hatred is."
Things changed when career cop, Commander Superintendent Luke Freudenstein, came to Redfern for a six-month stint which has turned into almost a decade.
"I'd never worked in an Aboriginal community before. I'd heard a lot about it and I went for a walk on the first day and saw all this crime happening," he said.
"I walked around and spoke to some of the users, some of the dealers, and said 'we're going to have a blitz. If you're caught with heroin, if you're caught with anything here, you are going to be arrested'."
Top Redfern cop Luke Freudenstein is hoping to deter young Aboriginal people from taking up criminality
In May 2005, there were 100 robberies a month.
During the last financial year there were 74.
Three times a week, Commander Superintendent Freudenstein travels to Long Bay Correctional Complex and takes three prisoners out for the day.
"I'm up at 3.30 to do this," he said. "I pick them up sometimes in uniform, but all the times in a police bus — marked police all over it."
"I want these inmates to know that police are committed to helping them rehabilitate."
He takes the inmates to a community gym in Redfern, where they are able to interact with young children growing in Redfern.
The inmates are then taken to get maritime qualifications on Mr Freudenstein's training ship, the Tribal Warrior.
In addition to helping turn the lives of incarcerated criminals around, he also serves as water boy for the Redfern All Blacks.
Aboriginal elder Shane Phillips said things really started to change when Commander Superintendent Freudenstein came to town
Mr Phillips serves as the team's assistant coach.
"This is about family, this is about building strengths and capacity. It's not just about you playing football on Sundays for them young men, it's about what else you do in and around it."
"We want our community and our children to be safe, that's all we're doing."
Mr Freudenstein is banking on the program being successful.
"This has to work," he said.
"I'm going to make this work and I'm going to bust everything that I can to make this work. And with Shane Phillips, who does the same, it's gotta be personal."
CONTACT US

Send your stories to contact@9news.com.au

Auto news: The terrifying moment a Ferrari narrowly misses a jogger.