Darebin’s Community Safety Audits aim to improve the physical environment. Council believes encouraging more people to walk in local streets and parks can have wide reaching benefits for public safety, public health and community connectedness.
Council’s process is to target a locale – for example, a shopping street or an area around a school – and invite the local community to work there. Together, a checklist is built of items to note, for example, tree roots in footpaths, poor lighting, graffiti, litter or inadequate shade. Then participants walk the local streets, systematically recording anything that might affect safety.
Council’s project officer then liaises with Council departments and external agencies, such as the Police, private businesses and drug and alcohol services, to rectify the faults identified. Safety hazards enter work plans immediately, while amenity items enter the annual Council works schedule.
In 2004, Darebin worked with young participants who wanted safety audits on public transport stops and, more recently, Council has worked with a group who wanted their playground to be safer and more attractive to locals. With the success of Community Safety Audits, Council has created a tool kit so residents can take the lead on locations, working with the project officer.
For more information, contact Emma Tacey on (03) 9230 4567.
