Challenges in conducting focus groups with Vietnamese Australians on policing issues

A series of planned focus groups with Vietnamese Australians will explore perceptions, views and informed opinions on policing safety and security in their communities. The focus group data will be an important and significant part of the research for the ARC linkage project 'Exploring the experience of security in the Australian Vietnamese community: practical implications for policing'. The first component study within the project explored how police understand and implement community policing with Vietnamese Australians. A second component study investigated how issues of crime and safety are policed in local communities in the country of origin, Vietnam. This third component study seeks to understand the issues from the Vietnamese Australian perspective. The data from the three component studies will be triangulated to identify the core themes. The focus group study will address three research questions, all of which relate directly to the ARC project aims. The research questions are: 1. What are the attitudes of Australian Vietnamese community members to police, crime, security and community policing including their preparedness to involve themselves in a career in police? 2. What information sources are currently used within the Australian Vietnamese community to address crime, safety and security issues, including government and non-government agencies and associational or faith-based networks? 3. What are the key issues related to crime, safety and trust