Page 3460 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 25 November 1992
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MS SZUTY (4.05): Madam Speaker, I feel that the issue of public safety in Civic, which is the topic for the matter of public importance debate today, needs to be addressed in a holistic fashion, looking at the factors which contribute to violent crimes being committed in the area from both the social and planning points of view. A lot of what I had planned to say today has actually been said by Mr Wood, which I find interesting. I am pleased that the Attorney-General and Minister for police has decided to call a meeting of interested parties for Friday and that he has himself identified some improvements that can be made in the area - for example, with regard to lighting.
Civic has had an unfortunate history of assault and other criminal behaviour and is often the place where people congregate for a night out. With a concentration of people in one general area there are a lot of factors that come into play, not the least being the fact that the place acts like a magnet to young people and, it appears from incidents in the past few days and weeks, people who would take advantage of these young people.
There are, I believe, two timeframes that need to be taken into account, and they are obvious - the short term and the long term. The most urgent need at this time is to make Canberra people feel safe in the Civic area; therefore this should be the short-term goal. This may include redirecting more foot patrol police into streets surrounding Civic as well as adopting the measure mentioned by the Attorney-General of increasing illumination in the area. The areas around the Sydney and Melbourne buildings have been the focus of crime prevention design in the past. In 1988 the then Minister for Territories ordered the shrubs surrounding the car parks on London Circuit to be removed to improve the surveillance of the area. Similarly, the City Hill toilet block proved to be difficult to keep under surveillance and was closed. However, it continues to provide police with an ongoing problem.
In the short term these measures have probably had some effect and it is time that more such measures were taken to help people to feel safer in Civic. Some basic elements are good lighting and clear lines of sight in walkways and car parks. The Australian Federal Police has already moved towards a higher police presence in Civic with a shopfront and foot patrols, so emphasising its community policing aspect. Encouraging people to approach police with concerns is another way of reinforcing the security message.
While crime is increasing, this should not prevent a long-term approach from also being considered at this time. Social strategies as well as planning strategies will help to reduce the problem. There is a need for our society to address the feelings of alienation felt by both young and older unemployed people. We need to provide employment or a living wage to ensure dignity for all members of our community. These issues can be addressed through increased job creation schemes and participation and life skills training for young people as well as providing affordable housing. In the longer term it needs to be recognised that there are opportunities for crime to occur in areas of any city, and it is in the designing area that we need to, and can, take account of the problems that occur in any particular locality.
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