Cleaning up the streets
Surfers safer than ever but ‘negative image’ damaging precinct
BIG brother is cleaning up Surfers Paradise with new mapping showing more than 100 CCTV cameras located at crime hot spots on the beach and around nightclubs.
A report to council reveals the locations of 103 cameras with most of them on the foreshore and along the Orchid Avenue entertainment strip.
The research includes the revelation that Surfers Paradise is no worse for police incidents than Brisbane’s entertainment strip at Fortitude Valley.
But the report warns council that the precinct suffers from a negative image that could be made worse by the millions of tourists posting on social media.
“Locally, it is seen as an unsafe precinct that has high crime levels and issues with intoxicated and aggressive young adults,” the report says.
“This is reinforced by a large number of negative media reports about crime and declining economic prospects, the noticeably high number of commercial vacancies and a large number of rundown buildings adding to the negative perceptions of the precinct.
“Conversely intrastate, interstate and international visitors have a very different view of Surfers Paradise which is one with an exciting and active night life with a world-class beach and the perfect gateway to the Gold Coast theme parks.”
The report advised council to change public perception by:
● Locally focused marketing and advertising “highlighting the facts” and educating locals of the realities of the precinct.
● Increasing the number of positive, family-orientated precinct events and positive media stories.
● Encouraging local businesses to promote the precinct and increase their social media use.
Surfers Paradise featured in millions of posts on Instagram but council needed to be “careful and make sure they have a good strategy to ensure they get the most out of it”.
The report says the crime statistics for the holiday and nightclub precinct across the last 10 years show a steady decrease in incident numbers.
Fortitude Valley had recorded more drug and good order offences than Surfers Paradise, but all locations had recorded a drop-off in incidents since COVID-19.
The report is part of future planning advice to council, in which consultants concluded the tourist mecca, without a hotel-casino, could not and should not chase the five-star tourism market.
Area councillor Darren Taylor believed Surfers Paradise must cater for locals by providing “active familyfriendly areas” on the riverfront and beachfront.
The council was faced with a challenge in filling empty shopfronts with at least 30 per cent of space available in the precinct, he admitted.
Mayor Tom Tate said the council was supporting police by increasing the CCTV network from around 100 cameras in 2009 to more than 500 cameras in 2021.
Other measures included improved street lighting, hosting regular Mayoral Safer Suburbs Forums and education to help seniors be more secure in their homes.