Keeping your community safe and crime free

Providing safe communities and preventing crime are a priority for the City of Cockburn and as we continually improve ways to achieve this, we’re collaborating with Edith Cowan University (ECU) in a research project.   Local residents aged 15 years and older and local business owners, are encouraged to complete a survey to help us understand their concerns and experiences of crime and community safety in Cockburn.   Results from the survey will help the City prepare its Community Safety and Crime Prevention Strategy 2021-2026.

The survey is available at Comment on Cockburn  opens in a new windowuntil 4pm, 24 December. More than 500+ surveys were returned in the first three days of becoming available via the City’s digital consultation portal.

This research will be conducted by Dr Nikki Rajakaruna and Associate Professor Pamela Henry of the ECU Sellenger Centre for Research in Law, Justice and Social Change.   The City will also hold a group discussion on crime prevention and community safety. Interested people should register by Friday, 27 November.   Or ask questions and give feedback at a drop-in session at Cockburn Gateway Shopping City on Saturday, 5 December, between 9am and 4.30pm.   City of Cockburn Rangers & Community Safety Manager Michael Emery said local governments throughout Australia were becoming increasingly involved with crime prevention in response to community concerns.

“The City’s 2020 annual community scorecard showed our residents felt the City’s safety, security and CoSafe performance was among our most improved services in the past 12 months, and it remains a community priority,” Mr Emery said.

“In the next year, we will increase the use of technology to improve security around City buildings and infrastructure and aim to provide a more tailored CoSafe responses to emerging anti-social hotspots.

Another key focus area is to build capacity in local resident groups and Neighbourhood Watch groups to better aid residents with security and safety concerns.

“In July, the City launched its new CoSafe service following a two-year review. The City now directly employs four CoSafe team leaders plus up to six additional patrol officers.

“All have completed fitness, driving, cultural-awareness, psychometric and nationally accredited testing and security training, to enhance their expanded roles.”

Mr Emery said the new strategy would replace the Community Safety and CCTV Strategy 2017-2022. “The City has delivered the commitments, actions and initiatives in the 2017-2022 document and is now developing a new strategy for the future.

Apart from relaunching CoSafe, some of our achievements included:

Building our CCTV network to over 600 fixed CCTV cameras at Port Coogee, Cockburn Central and Bibra Lake Maintaining an inter-government agency crime prevention group to share information Supporting Neighbourhood Watch Provide local crime forums. Comment on Cockburn is where you can have your say on a range of projects and important issues in your City. Visit comment.cockburn.wa.gov.au to get involved with decision-making in your neighbourhood.