Page 4555 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 26 November 2019
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Crime—Belconnen
MRS KIKKERT: My question is to the Minister for Police and Emergency Services. Minister, in recent weeks a woman in Macgregor was robbed by two men as she was getting into her car. Her screams drew her partner outside but not before the robbers got away with her handbag. Residents are shocked that this offence was committed in their street in broad daylight and have told us that they have lost their sense of security. Minister, what is your plan to tackle the issue of women’s safety in Belconnen?
MR GENTLEMAN: I thank Mrs Kikkert for the question. The response from the government is to invest in front-line policing and a new police service model to ensure that police are able to intervene at the early stages in the social sense to ensure that crime does not occur in the first place. We do see crime occur in the ACT; we are not immune from seeing crime. We do have a safe city, and that is reported by the datasets that we see and also by the Chief Police Officer. I support our police on the ground. They do a fantastic job. They respond as soon as possible. We will continue to invest in our police force.
MRS KIKKERT: Minister, when will the women of Belconnen see the benefits of your plan?
MR GENTLEMAN: As I mentioned, we are working through the rollout of the PSM. The member will see benefits in safety across the ACT with the new police service model. We have seen how this works in other jurisdictions, particularly in the UK and in New Zealand as well just recently. We can say that a PSM in this sense of looking after the community is a much broader method of combatting crime and allowing our community to feel safe into the future.
MRS DUNNE: Minister, are the women of Belconnen wrong when they say that they do not feel safe getting into their cars?
MR GENTLEMAN: As I mentioned, the crime data statistics show that crime has decreased across the ACT over the 10-year period. I assure women across the ACT that Canberra is a safe place to be. We are not immune from crime, as I have said. That is why we are making the biggest investment ever in our ACT police force.
Infrastructure—south Canberra
MS CODY: My question is to the Chief Minister. Chief Minister, can you outline the ACT government’s plan for infrastructure on the south side?
MR BARR: I thank Ms Cody for the question.
Opposition members interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Members!
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