Committee fights crime Building safer city

UNDERTAKING a comprehensive safety audit of all Townsville suburbs is high on the agenda for the Townsville City Council’s Community Safety Advisory Committee.

The safety advisory committee, which was a crucial element of Team Hill’s City Safe election pledge, met for the second time yesterday.

Committee chair Cr Russ Cook, a former police officer, said each council division would identify community safety issues to be addressed.

The committee comprises representatives from 17 local organisations including law enforcement agencies, emergency services and relevant community organisations.

Its aim is to strengthen the link between safety and crime prevention groups and provide a process for community feedback.

Cr Cook said the committee was committed to obtaining crime data and superimposing it against respon- sibilities that the council and community organisations could affect.

“That information will assist with council planning,” he said.

“The safety audits will include carrying out visual audits of parks and open spaces and examine crime prevention through environmental design such as lighting, visual surveillance, defensible space, safe precincts and clear boundaries.

“The committee will examine evidence- based information about the types of crimes that are occurring in areas, and what community social activities could be put in place such as graffiti walls.”

Cr Cook said the committee was focused on early intervention.

“We’re looking at the underlying issues which will or may eventually turn into crime,” he said.

“We’ll also look at what council has done in the past in terms of community safety strategies and see why it did not or did work.”

Cr Cook said a community safety officer, which would liaise with relevant stakeholders, would be appointed soon. He said the committee would work to promote safety and crime prevention in the city.