Crime Prevention empowers the community to make Greater Shepparton a safer place.
By Glenn Gibson Leading Senior Constable. Crime Prevention Officer Greater Shepparton Police Service Area.
Mine has been a 24-year policing career that has been varied and at times many other things; interesting, fascinating, exciting, at times mundane and occasionally traumatic. For sixteen years I principally reacted to crime, emergencies and trauma in the community. I responded to dishonesty, assault, trauma, flood and fire in many and varied circumstances and degrees of impact. We meet victims at a time when they are in crisis and under stress. We witness their fear, anger, helplessness and pain. Over the years I have developed a sense that each incident damages our community in some way; maybe just a small chink in the case of a crime such as graffiti, but through to a shattering fracture after a critical incident like a fatal vehicle collision. It’s clearer to me now that crime prevention provides enormous value to our community. The clarity that each crime avoided (or severity reduced) enhanced the sense of safety and wellbeing of our community. Each crime avoided was one less victim and one less attack on our sense of community.
In recent years I commenced as the Greater Shepparton Crime Prevention Officer. I was released to encourage, motivate and influence the community to get involved and explore opportunities to prevent crime. To simplify my role; my goal is to empower the community to make Greater Shepparton a safer place.
Any community engagement activity that gathers the community against unlawful activity will prevent crime, build community confidence and develop a sense of community safety and wellbeing.
I have been involved or supported crime prevention initiatives that have engaged our community and achieved success over many years. I have also been involved in initiatives that have required enormous effort and yet became unsustainable before falling away. The difference between success and failure is community ownership. Crime Prevention is community safety. Community safety is everyone’s concern and responsibility. When the community gets involved, works together and supports each other, we succeed together. Initiatives that draw in this community involvement have been both sustainable and successful.
Youth crime is always a worthwhile example when we discuss crime prevention and it is also a current hot topic. The phrase ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ is a summary of our goal. It encourages a community to embrace youth as a collective and enhance community safety. When the conversation turns to pointing at the responsibilities of others, it becomes unhealthy and ineffective. If youth resources work in silos successes is also isolated and resource intensive.
However, if we all reflect on how we can do even a little more to engage the lives of our youth, it quickly becomes a community solution. I have had the pleasure of knowing many wonderful people selflessly committed to our youth, it garners much hope for our future. I challenge everyone in our community to lift their view and increase their scope of youth influence; be more patient, provide a little more encouragement and engagement. Maybe ease up on the negativity on social media and consider how you can be a positive influence for all local youth… even in a small way. Be part of the village and the benefit will be an improved community.
On the topic of our ‘village’; a more modern term is community. Our community includes our neighbours. A good neighbour is something to be cherished and valued. Unfortunately, I have attended many neighbourhood disputes, thankfully balanced by witnessing many neighbourhoods who work well together to make their community a safer place. I summarise the difference between a functioning and a fractured neighbourhood as COMMUNICATION. You do not have to be best mates to be good neighbours. You can share information and be prepared to do the little things that cost a little time but generate huge goodwill. Don’t think big, think thoughtful; a pause to say hello, clearing the junk mail or wheeling out their bins when they are away. I challenge everyone to attempt one small act of kindness towards a neighbour. Responding to the raised hand for assistance or providing the connection with appropriate services. Once you have broken down the tiny barriers with one neighbour – you have a network! Then it can grow into a network that can become a barrier to crime. More people to care for your piece of neighbourhood and automatically retracting the available space for criminal activity. A community standing with their local police is solid base for Crime Prevention. You feel safer and more connected to your community.
Crime Prevention in most part is not complex. Most themes are a state of mind that require little adjustment but deliver barriers to crime. These themes restrict opportunity to those that look to help themselves to our valuables given the chance. With this thought in mind over the next 10 weeks I intend to plant the seed; the crime prevention seed. The Shepparton Adviser will include each week a snapshot of a crime prevention theme. It is intended to provoke a thought that will generate a minor modification in your life. Collectively it could generate a significant shift is the community behaviour that will reduce crime and make Greater Shepparton a safer place.
Be Safe
