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The City of Whyalla’s campaign to Stamp Out Vandalism and Crime continues to gain momentum.
In the latest development, SA Police have declared they would participate in a Council-run forum focussing on community safety.
Council carried a motion at its June meeting to hold a forum with key stakeholders to address a host of crime and other issues in the city.
The motion was raised by Councillor Tim Breuer and adds to Council’s ongoing vandalism and crime campaign which includes a “Stop, Care and Report” media campaign proposed by Councillor Tom Antonio and Council’s ongoing process of reporting all incidents of vandalism to the police.
Council’s Stamp Out Vandalism and Crime campaign, which has involved a direct line to police for Council staff and the public to report incidents, has already raised awareness in the community and led to a $364,000 grant for more lighting and cameras in Civic Park.
The proposed Stop, Care and Report media campaign and forum will further raise the issue in the community.
“While our crime figures show that we are not particularly different to other communities, we do have issues which cause distress, fear and harm to members of the community,” Cr Tim Breuer said.
“There are a number of programs run by Government agencies, NGOs and community organisations which work toward building a better community and reducing the amount, and the impact, of crime in our city.
“The intention of holding this initial forum is to bring all parties working in this area together to discuss what the issues are, what programs we are all running and see how we can work collaboratively to improve our community.”
CRIME PREVENTION MOTION
“That the Whyalla Council host an initial forum, with key stakeholders in the city, to identify current programs, assess future options/forum and to identify how we can work together as a community to help to promote and to provide a safe environment for our residents.” Carried
As reported in the Whyalla News, Whyalla Police Senior Sergeant Lucas Fillmore said that police welcomed the forum and would attend.
“Anything that helps people feel safer, and provides key crime prevention information is valuable, but I would remind the community in Whyalla that the town is generally a safe one,” he said.
Mr Fillmore said there had been a recent spike in theft-based crimes, with items being stolen from homes, sheds and unsecured vehicles.
“We understand this can cause distress to victims,” he said.
“It is unacceptable to police that someone would enter someone else’s home and we will continue to work hard to investigate these matters.
“Last year local police achieved an overall reduction in reports of this type of crime.”
A wide range of crime prevention information is available on the SA Police website: https://www.police.sa.gov.au/your-safety/crime-prevention-and-security/safety-and-security-tips
Anyone with information about crime in the community is urged to provide that information via Crime Stoppers by calling 1800 333 000.The call is free, and callers can remain anonymous.
Residents can report incidents of vandalism to public property to council via the easy-to-use form on the My Local Services app which also allows you to include picture. The My Local Services app is free and can be downloaded at http://www.lga.sa.gov.au/page.aspx?u=4099
Vandalism reports can also be made via the customer enquiry form on the website or by calling 8640 3444 to ensure they go direct to the police. Council’s Facebook site is not the preferred forum for these reports.
