Hello Neighbour - a stronger society starts at street level
Acting Inspector Briony Jones is a 2026 mentee in the Victoria Police Mentoring Program (LMP), a longstanding partnership between Victoria Police, Rotary and the Victorian business community for police members who are considered to be high performing leaders within their field. Hello Neighbour is the community initiative she is developing as part of the LMP.
Hello Neighbour is a grassroots initiative to strengthen social cohesion and improve community safety by supporting vulnerable people early. It aims to complement existing efforts like Neighbourhood Watch to reduce isolation, build trust, and create informal support networks within communities. Hello Neighbour highlights the belief that resilience starts with connection and small acts of neighbourly support can have a lasting impact before, during and after emergencies.
At its core, Hello Neighbour encourages small, everyday interactions between neighbours and strangers by applying the LARA framework:
- Look out
- Ask
- Reconnect
- Assist
Hello Neighbour seeks to partner with community organisations including Rotary, Neighbourhood Watch, The Big Issue and local councils to strengthen community resilience, improve perceptions of safety, and contribute to early intervention and crime prevention.
With more than two decades of public safety and emergency management experience, Briony Jones has dedicated her career to serving and protecting Victorian communities. Her career spans the Victorian Sheriff's Office, as the second-in-charge of Northeast Victoria, before transitioning to Corrections then joining Victoria Police.
During her Policing career, she has held a diverse range of operational and leadership roles, including General Duties, Air Wing, Public Order Response Team, and the State Emergency Response Coordination Division, where she is currently performing duties as an Acting Inspector. Throughout her policing career, she has been deployed to numerous major emergencies and natural disasters across Victoria, coordinating multi-agency responses in some of the state's most challenging environments.
A highlight of her operational experience was serving as the Aviation Capability Officer for Operation Genesis during the 2019-20 Mallacoota bushfires, where she coordinated aviation resources in one of Australia's largest emergency response operations.
Beyond her professional career, Briony is a volunteer firefighter and Road Crash Rescue operator with the Country Fire Authority.
An advocate for lifelong learning, she has completed postgraduate studies in Public Sector Leadership and Management and Police Management, alongside qualifications in Project Management, Emergency Management and Mental Health.
Her dedication to service has been recognised through numerous awards, including the Victoria Police Service Medal, National Emergency Medal, Victoria Police Command Commendations, and community service awards.
Passionate about leadership, emergency management and building resilient communities, she is committed to developing innovative approaches that strengthen collaboration between emergency services and the community.