Community Safety AuditsPresentation by:

Nancy Pierorazio, Senior Policy Officer City Safety & Todd Berry, Social Planner City Issues

What are community safety audits

• Safety audits are a qualitative process that record subjective feelings and perceptions as a means of identifying community safety issues and possible solutions.

• Safety audits can help identify good (safe) and bad (unsafe) parts of a place.

• They can be conducted for a particular location, street, park, building, residential complex or neighbourhood.

What are community safety audits?

• Audits need to involve people who use the space, as their perceptions are the key to a successful audit.

• It is important to involve particular user groups such as women, young people, people with a disability, etc. who may have different perceptions than safety professionals and designers.

• Safety audits generate a security assessment report and recommendations which become a report card on what needs to be maintained, improved and changed.

What are community safety audits?

•Safety audits are conducted using the principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED).

•CPTED recognises the relationship between how space is designed and used, and the real or perceived feelings of safety of the users of that space.

What are the benefits of community safety audits?

Undertaking and participating in a community safety audit can have many benefits including:

•reducing the feeling of fear in the community

•increasing the feeling of safety in the community

•reducing the opportunity for crime to occur• •reducing the opportunity for injury to occur

•increasing community participation in local programs

•building working relationships between residents, businesses and government.

What’s involved in a community safety audit?

Preparing for a site assessment / community safety audit:

• Define the site, context, development or related planning

• Identify the safety issues

• Who should be involved and or consulted in the assessment / audit

• When to assess the site? Day or night, peak times, special events times, over what period

• Tools to take i.e. camera, maps, video, clipboard, tape recorder

• What mode of transport to best assess access issues e.g. walking, cycling, public transport, motor vehicle or all

• Consider offering CPTED information and / or training to participants taking part in the audit

What happens after the safety audit is completed?

• A Safety Audit Report with recommendations is prepared (preferably by Victoria Police)

• The Safety Audit Report is presented to relevant areas of Council, Government agencies, local businesses and private property owners. Action is requested for the safety issues that fall under their responsibility.

• An Improvement Plan is produced and lists all of the safety issues and actions taken to improve the safety, security and amenity of the area.

• The Improvement Plan is provided to all audit participants, responsible agencies, and relevant Council branches.

• The Improvement Plan is followed up 12 months later.

City of Melbourne Community Safety Audit program

Requests for a community safety audit may arise from:

• Community including residents, workers, businesses etc• Councillors • Other branches of Council • Victoria Police

Types of audits

There are different types of audits:

• Site assessment• Issue based audit e.g. lighting, public toilets, public art, drug use • Community safety audit

North Melbourne Shopping Precinct (Errol St) – community safety audit

Queensbridge Square – community safety audit

Royal Park – lighting audit

Royal Park – Capital Bike Trail •Safety concerns raised by residents – walkway unlit from Royal Park Station to Sydney Road.•Royal park – Dark Park status•Recommendation - Solar sensor lighting – powers up when cyclist or pedestrian passes and no need for cabling.

Fitzroy Gardens – public toilet audit

Hosier & Rutledge Lanes – safety audits

Useful resources

CoM / VicPol Safety audit assessment tools:

•Park, garden and open space audit assessment•Business safety audit assessment•Apartment building safety audit assessment•Residential safety audit assessment•Improvement plan template

http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/CommunityServices/CommunitySafety/MelbourneCommunitySafetyAuditProgram/Pages/SafetyAudit_PilotProgram.aspx