Crime Prevention in the Hastings
The aim of crime prevention is to reduce the incidence of crime by:
- Making it harder to commit crime, and
- Reducing the number of motivated offenders through positive and early intervention.
Crime prevention is not simply the role of the police or courts. There is growing recognition of the broader factors contributing to crime that are beyond the scope of police and justice agencies to address on their own. Therefore, to succeed in limiting crime and preventing crime from happening in the first place, we need to develop partnerships and look holistically at the broader social and economic issues which impact on community safety and wellbeing.
Crime problems also need to be understood in their local context and strategies need to be tailor made for each community. Since 1998 Council has worked with the Hastings community to develop succeeding Crime Prevention Plans as part of its role in creating a safer and more liveable community environment. In this, Council is well placed to address issues of crime prevention as it's decisions and actions in planning, community support and development, environment and design all have an impact on community safety.
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council employs a Crime Prevention Officer to work with local communities and organisations to:
- Develop, implement and monitor the Hastings Crime Prevention Plan, and
- Facilitate ongoing community consultation in the area of community safety.
