A group of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youths aspiring to work in the police force has been given a chance to experience just what that life could be like.
The Indigenous community makes up only a small number of the country's police, but the hope is a new traineeship program could soon change that.
"So we start with ... (sound of siren ...) Then there's a wail ... You can move up to a wail." (sound of siren changes ...)
It could be the start of a life in the police force for some young Indigenous students.
Once a week, they are spending time in police stations across Victoria, from Morwell to Warrnambool, as part of a Certificate 3 in Business Administration.
After 40 years in the force, Victorian assistant police commissioner Robert Hill says he is keen to see some new faces in uniform.
"When I joined Victoria Police, it was predominantly male members, young, white Caucasians. And, now, we have members from all parts of the world as members of Victoria Police, and that's so important. We need to think about how we can be more effective in recruiting people from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait backgrounds. We need to be engaged in that community."
Across Victoria, there are just over 70 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander police workers, about 45 of them uniformed officers.
Victoria Police say they hope to add diversity through more Indigenous staff as part of a recruitment drive.
State employment minister Wade Noonan says he hopes the traineeship program can also help fight Indigenous unemployment, now around 18 per cent nationally.
"Statistically, we actually understand that our Aboriginal youth and Aboriginal people in Victoria probably face more barriers to, basically, getting a job, and then keeping a job. So it's really important to wrap around the support, particularly for young people."
Some of the youths, like 15-year-old Elvis Carter, have deeply personal motivations for embarking on police careers.
"One of my friends, he's just on the run -- he's been on the run for like 12 months now. I don't even know where he is. It's annoying, because I remember when they (the trainees) weren't doing this stuff, and now you look at them, and you look at them before and see the change."
He says he wants to actively enforce change and improve relationships between the community and police.
"I'm an uncle, so I'm just trying to keep my nieces and nephews out of trouble, teach them the way how you can be good and (that) the police are not that bad -- if you need help, you can ask them."
Another trainee, Jackson Nolan, is a keen footballer.
But he says, if that fails, a career at the academy is on the agenda.
He credits the course with boosting his confidence.
"I can already see it's helped, like, communication skills you use and talking to other people, being able to hold a conversation and being able to lead a group."
It is a pathway to employment but, as they see it, also a quest to help others.
