Tamworth Regional Council to consider draft Community Safety and Crime Prevention Plan

A new five-year plan will home in on a spate of "opportunistic" crimes in a bid to improve safety and prevent anti-social behaviour across the city.

Council's draft 'Community Safety and Crime Prevention Plan', which is set to go before a public meeting on Tuesday, lays bare a significant increase in vehicle related crimes during the last two years.

According to the plan, motor vehicle theft is up 46.5 per cent and stealing from cars has increased by 63.5 per cent.

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The demographic for motor vehicle theft is men under the age of 19, while males under 17 are those most likely to be caught stealing from cars.

"The increases are largely attributable to short term spikes and offender recidivism," the plan says.

"Rather than the misconception that offences are increasing at a constant rate."

The plan, which has been drafted on the back of state-wide crime statistics and community and stakeholder consultation, paints Tamworth's crime problem as linked by a common feature.

The four priority crimes have been dubbed "opportunistic", primarily carried out without planning, and "strongly impacted by the surrounding environment".

Council has also recognised the offences are "more likely to be committed by young people".

With that in mind, the plan sets forward a string of strategies targetting the offender's "rational choice", "routine activity", and "crime pattern".

To prevent motor vehicle theft, council has pledged to deliver community education aimed at "improving personal security and reducing the risk of crime", install fixed and mobile CCTV, and seek funding opportunities for youth diversion and engagement programs.

Offering free safety audits of commercial car parks and visitor accommodation centres has been slated as a solution to stealing from cars.

Council will look into how crime prevention can be built into the city, with plans to utilise environmental design to help stamp out break and enter offences.

The plan says future council developments in residential areas should consider how the design of buildings, landscaping and outdoor environments can help discourage offending.

Investigating opportunities to revive a Neighbourhood Watch scheme has also been put forward as a way to create safe spaces.

Advocating for increased police patrols, auditing existing and emerging "hotspots", and installing "legal graffiti walls" have been pegged as strategies to counteract malicious damage.

As part of the consultation process, the community also identified personal safety when walking alone at night, a lack of police, homelessness and insufficient lighting as concerns.

If the draft plan is passed by council on Tuesday, the document will be placed on public exhibition for 28 days.

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