Criminology Research Council grant ; (43/89)
Jointly funded by the Federal Office of Local Government, the Law Foundation of NSW and the Criminology Research Council, both Fairfield City Council and Waverley Municipality embarked in 1990 on community crime prevention research projects in their local areas. Growing concern has been expressed at the increasing amounts of money spent on policing and changes in the legal system in an endeavour to control and minimalise crime levels.
The Fairfield Safer Neighbourhood Project aimed to achieve the following objectives and activities:
- educate the public, politicians, and service/planning agencies about the cost and social/environmental causes of crime;
- identify local crime problems considered appropriate and amenable to intervention; and
- collectively with a range of agency and citizen representatives, devise and implement plans for prevention and reduction of the crime problems identified; while
- emphasising environmental (physical and social) planning measures in preference to traditional law enforcement strategies;
- ensuring that marginalised and disadvantaged groups in the community are engaged in these processes; and
- increasing the control of local communities over their local environment and local crime problem relative to 'state control'.
The project achieved some marked changes in the Fairfield local government area. Initiatives resulting from Fairfield's involvement in the project are: a five-year crime profile of the local government area (July 1985-June 1990) which contains an analysis of sixteen categories of crime; a domestic violence services brochure; a crime prevention and local government seminar; a community study on the fear of crime, perceptions of the local crime problem and victimisation; local community development work around the issue of crime in a public housing estate; and the establishment of a council-based program for regular use of community service order workers.
The research has highlighted several issues that should be considered by councils, organisations or individuals who may be thinking about commencing a crime prevention project.
The Fairfield Council component of the research produced three reports and the proceedings of the seminar.
Waverley Municipal Council's Community Crime Prevention Project approached local community crime issues from a local government perspective. This approach was felt to be appropriate because of the local nature of certain types of crime, e.g. burglary, car theft, and because of local government's contact with diverse groups in any community. Local government's existing responsibilities can have a significant impact on crime, through statutory development control, design and control of open space areas and public parks, social planning and involvement in community service areas. The Council has a history of active involvement in the local Police Community Consultative Committee, and with local precinct committees.
The project researched overall levels of crime and the effects of crime on elderly residents. Information was drawn formally from analysis of police crime statistics, and informally from discussions with local police and the community. Conclusions were drawn about the role of local government in community crime prevention and various strategies were subsequently adopted to impact on levels of crime or perceptions of crime in Waverley.
Local police perceptions of crime were sought and a contributing factor to crime in the area was thought to be because of the high influx of tourists. Half of the offenders in break and enters, and assaults, came from outside the area. Alcohol abuse and drug abuse were also seen as contributing to offences by young people. Police perceived that the level of aggression and anti-social behaviour had increased and this was associated with extra drinking hours in local licensed premises.
Community perceptions of the level of crime were gauged informally. It was reported that many members of the community felt unsafe in their local area. These perceptions may have originated from direct experience of crime, or commonly, from information gleaned from friends, the media, etc. about incidents of crime in the Municipality or the Eastern Suburbs as a whole. Older people as a group express the greatest fear of crime, normally because they consider themselves likely to be victimised but also because of the major consequences from assaults to their health and lifestyle.
The project examined police statistics covering a four-year period 1985-86 to 1988-89. The report highlights the difficulties of compiling crime figures to get an accurate profile of crime in a local area. Information held by the Police Department was insufficient in detail about each offence to assist in compiling a thorough picture of crime in the Municipality. Also the majority of crime is not reported. Relatively unambiguous crimes such as burglary and motor vehicle theft have a greater level of reporting than assaults and domestic violence. Certain important areas of crime such as environmental and business crime are not measured by police statistics as they are dealt with by specialist agencies. Furthermore, the discretion which police exercise in recording reported crimes must be recognised.
A comparison over the four-year period with the Sydney Metropolitan area was undertaken which gave a similar pattern of crime for most offences with Waverley higher although not significantly so.
Waverley has a disproportionate percentage of population over 60 years and this community suffers disproportionately the effects of crime. A small sample of this population was surveyed to explore: (a) the perception of crime as a local problem alongside other local problems; (b) the extent to which older residents are victims of crime and the consequences of such victimisation; (c) the indirect effects of crime on older residents; and (d) the influence of other factors on the attitudes and experiences of older people in relation to their sense of personal security. The respondents were chosen indirectly through community organisations in an attempt to instigate less impersonal contact than would otherwise be the case, and to include housebound older people. The forty-five respondents were predominantly female (36) aged 70 and over, born outside Australia, settled at their current address and living alone. The survey attempted to explore the issues which influence perceptions of crime and the conclusion was significant in finding that crime is not as important in circumscribing the majority of the elderly as had been expected. It was concluded that a significant factor in this finding was the level of social isolation, which in the sample group was fairly low. This may be because the sample was chosen through community organisations.
The report made sixteen recommendations, all of which were adopted by Waverley Council. The recommendations address: the accessibility of relevant crime statistics, the role of community services in reducing social isolation, the link between violent and anti-social behaviour and the serving of alcohol in licensed premises, the use of local government's statutory responsibilities to undertake crime prevention through environmental design, the role of Council precinct committees and police community consultative committees in encouraging local crime prevention measures and the support by local government of community services which have a crime prevention aspect.