Group will look at preventing crimes like break and enter.
TEN local residents have submitted written expressions of interest in joining the Tamworth Region Crime Prevention Working Group.
The applications, received after vacancies on the group were advertised, will now be reviewed by the four Tamworth councillors who are part of the working group – councillors Russell Webb, Warren Woodley, Juanita Wilson and Phil Betts.
The review process will be completed before the Tamworth Region Crime Prevention Working Group meets next, on Friday, February 15.
Cr Webb, who chairs the group, said one of the first items on the meeting’s agenda would be to start work on developing a new crime prevention plan.
He said the plan, which will determine the group’s goals for at least the next two years, would revolve around working on a number of things that were brought up at the crime meetings in the city last year, and a number of newer issues that may have come up, or were likely to.
“We will probably look at what some of the bigger crime issues are and how we can put plans in place to work with different agencies and combat them,” he said.
“Then we will look at strategies we can develop with those groups, like the Department of Housing and DOCS, as well as police, to build strategies that will helpus to work together to overcome some of those crime-related problems.”
Cr Webb said after the plan had been developed it would be brought back to council for approval and then sent on to Attorney-General Greg Smith’s office.
Other priorities will be setting parameters so the group can get funding to implement the strategies.
“The biggest one there at this point will be funding for the Night Patrol Bus,” Cr Webb said.
“That will be a top priority early on too.”