About the project

Everyone should feel safe where they live, work or play. What does this look like to you?

A priority for Council as part of the Tamworth Regional Blueprint 100 is for our region to continue to be a safe and resilient community. It is time to review our Tamworth Regional Crime Prevention Plan and the information collected from this consultation will form the plan.

We called on the local community to get involved by providing feedback on the draft plan before Wednesday 10 May, 2023. Thank you to everyone who took the time to review the plan and thank you to everyone who took part in the first survey and shared thoughts on how we can continue to be a safe and welcoming place for everyone.

Have your say

Community consultation - Phase One

In addition to researching the available data provided by government agencies and consulting with local stakeholders, Council considered it crucial to give our residents a voice. Personal experiences shape the way both the individual and the broader community perceive crime and safety.

To obtain actionable information, Council conducted an online Community Safety Survey. The survey was created as a Tamworth regional Community Safety Working Group initiative and was developed using advice from focus groups and our partner networks.

The survey which ran for three weeks, was promoted across all media platforms and attracted 118 local contributions. In addition to the online survey, community workshops were undertaken and local community groups addressed. The responses allowed us to access the community's sense of safety and level of satisfaction with current measures addressing crime, while identifying issues of concern.

Targeted face-to-face interviews with contributors and stakeholders allowed us to explore those issues more deeply and discuss potential strategies to address identified issues.

What the community told us?

Below are some of the key themes from the community survey.
  • Our Region is a place where you generally feel safe;
  • Women are more likely to state they feel unsafe when walking alone or when home alone at night;
  • Men are more likely to state they felt unconcerned at night and were comfortable in most situations;
  • Residents aged 50 years+ are more likely to be concerned about safety;
  • Younger people are more likely to have committed, experienced or witnessed anti-social behaviour;
  • CCTV provides a sense of security;
  • Most people felt safer at festivals or larger events due to the presence of police or security;
  • The majority of people spoken to had not personally been the victim of a crime however knew someone personally who had been.
  • Personal safety, especially when walking alone at night;
  • Incidence in the crime categories of Motor Vehicle Theft, Stealing from Motor Vehicles and Break and Enter to homes;
  • Insufficient numbers of Police or a lack of adequate resourcing;
  • Levels of youth crime;
  • Members of the community who are experiencing homelessness;
  • Areas of footpaths in the Central Business District being obstructed by objects and structures;
  • Inadequate access to public transport during festivals or large public events.
  • Fostering a resilient and connected community to increase safety;
  • Increased services for youth and the elderly;
  • An expansion of CCTV coverage into more vulnerable areas of the region;
  • Improved lighting, roads and pathways to ensure safety while travelling;
  • Safe design of the region including recreation facilities and new developments;
  • The promotion of crime prevention and safety education to the community;
  • Support for housing for the disadvantaged or vulnerable community members;
  • Development of programs to connect disengaged youth with appropriate services;
  • Creation of programs aimed at connecting with disengaged youth.