Unlike many other Australian
Councils, Darwin City Council does not have a dedicated crime prevention group embedded
within their committees and working groups in Council.
Current alliances are
maintained through having a representative on the Neighbourhood Watch NT Board
and other government and NFP crime prevention groups, relying on external
agencies to take the weight of crime prevention within Council electorates.
When one considers that crime affects us all
and it is the responsibility of all levels of government, and the community, to
play their part in reducing crime, having a crime prevention fusion centre/crime
prevention working group established within Council can provide an enabling
effect for many of these groups and reduce the silo effect that such disparate
bodies are vulnerable to.
Having a Council embedded crime prevention working group/fusion centre allows for a progressive group,
working closely with local police, the liquor board and NFP crime prevention
organisations along with businesses, local education providers and community
groups, to look at initiatives that can tackle crime within our community and
identify strategies that may assist reducing the root cause of much of the
crime.
The popular Crime Prevention
Through Environmental Design (CPTED) is just one tool that can be applied to environments
that allow crime to prosper however, it is not a stand-alone tool and total
reliance on this model can be counter-productive.
Some CPTED tools used by CPTED
auditors can allow a tick and flick mentality to become prevalent in auditors
that can leave gaps in what is understood about vulnerabilities in the target
area. There have also been overseas studies that have revealed that criminals have
adapted CPTED to assist them in committing crimes through using the very principles
that are designed to protect people to that of a tool to target people, who
believe that they are safe.
It is essential then that public
agencies not get blinded by CPTED as the optional solution. They must expand their
options to get better value for the effort put in to reducing crime. CPTED is a
great initiative but is only one of many initiatives that will reduce crime,
taking into consideration that criminals only require a desire, ability and
opportunity to commit any crime, there is scope to develop many different strategies to change the status quo.
All government and
non-government bodies must understand that strategies that reduce crime can
include a wide range of initiatives, not just policing. We must involve multi
elements within our Darwin community including business, education, Larrakia
Nation and community groups, supported by Territory and local government to get valid input into workable initiatives.
Elected officials and Council
officers seconded to local and government organised crime prevention groups
must have a sound knowledge of crime prevention in order to provide valued
insight and input into group deliberations.
This will require training and education being offered to those seconded.
Council must also ensure that
Regulations and By-Laws are either in place or enacted to support crime reduction
strategies and the work of the group, with funding from other levels of
government to support the work.
Council media must also promote
the work of the group in an open and transparent manner that ensures the public
knows what actions and initiatives are being developed to reduce crime and thus
support the reduction of crime in the Darwin region. Failure to promote the work of the group would be counter-productive and lead to concerns about hidden agendas, secrecy etc from the public and business.
Darwin City Council can
either:
a.
take the lead in developing a coordinated
effort to reduce crime in the Darwin region, or
b.
can sit back and let others tackle the problem
in isolation, providing token interest, through observers and Council
representatives that provide the perception of a dedicated interest in the
deliberations and initiatives proposed by the disparate groups.
It’s now the time for
Darwin City Council to create a unified, inclusive crime prevention working
group/fusion centre within Council and be the progressive and pro-active body
that the community expects.
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