ACTION will start on creating a new Tamworth Regional Crime Prevention Plan next month, and reviewing the success of the 2013-16 plan, after it expired in August.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Tamworth Regional Crime Prevention Working Group chairman Russell Webb said the group’s first step in 2017 was to appoint three new community representatives in early February.
“That will mean we can have a full committee meeting in March, and one of first agenda items will be the review and establishment of a new crime prevention plan,” he said.
Cr Webb said he couldn’t comment on the outcomes of the old three-year plan until that meeting.
The 2013-16 plan was developed using guidelines from the NSW Department of Attorney General and Justice, and data from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.
Those statistics showed the most common offences in the region in the two years to September 2012 were malicious damage to property, break-ins to residences, non-family assault, and harassment or threatening behaviour.
The plan listed three projects to address those offences: community education on risk assessment, awareness and protection; creating more opportunities for young people; and relationship, respect and life skills programs for young people.
The working group is made up of councillors, and representatives from police and juvenile justice, the city liquor accord, chamber of commerce, taxi industry, domestic violence services and Aboriginal criminal justice services.
Cr Webb said the three community representatives were generally people “with interest in the welfare of the town; people with, hopefully, some skills in working with the wide community to get some better outcomes in terms of law and order”.
Expressions of interest for these spots were called for last month.
Cr Webb said the broader community could have input on the plan by contacting one of the working group’s four councillor members: himself, Mark Rodda, Phil Betts or Juanita Wilson.
He said that, in creating the plan, the working group was “acting as an advocate for funding for the city”.
“One of the very important roles is to work as a community group and work to source funds from state and federal government, to assist in trying to make our community a safer place to live in.”
Carolyn Millet
Based at The Northern Daily Leader, Tamworth, and Namoi Valley Independent, Gunnedah. Covering general news and features on community, council, arts, business, health, education, entertainment and rural matters.
Based at The Northern Daily Leader, Tamworth, and Namoi Valley Independent, Gunnedah. Covering general news and features on community, council, arts, business, health, education, entertainment and rural matters.
