Rachel Westaway is the second local MP to respond to the TWiSK community safety survey for local State MPs. We’ve also asked James Newbury (Brighton) and Nina Taylor (Albert Park) to respond.
Last week we featured David Southwick’s response.
We asked for short responses and set no word limits. Her answers are presented in full.
Rachel Westaway’s response in full
Q1: How do you feel personally about community safety when you are going about your day-to-day activities with your family?
My family and I have lived in the local area for over 20 years. We shop here and go out here. My children go to school here and they have part time jobs on Chapel Street and Malvern Road.
Chapel street has changed. We have more visible signs of the decay from graffiti to drug use and homelessness. We have seen a significant increase in crime in our area. As a family, we feel it and like many other locals we adjust out routines to avoid potential harm. For instance, I would prefer to pick up my children from their part time jobs than have them walk home by themselves.
Q2: What are your constituents telling you about how they feel about community safety?
Safety is the number 1 issue that local residents raise with me on a daily basis.
Local residents speak to me about their experiences with break ins, car thefts and antisocial behaviour in their local streets. Residents on local community social media groups regularly share CCTV footage and some have resorted to paying for private security.
Chapel street has always been known as a shopping and entertainment destination for Melbournians and tourists. I consistently hear that it is in decline. Local traders are concerned by the illegal tabaco shops which mean they struggle to obtain building insurance due to the heightened increase in fire bombings. They have also mentioned their concerns about anti social behaviour and homelessness that keep shoppers away.
These concerns of local residents and traders are not illusory. Official crime statistics show that crime has increased by more than 19% in our local area over the past year.
Q3: What do you think the community wants from the State Government on community safety? What could the State Government be doing differently to improve community safety?
My constituents have outlined numerous initiatives they want the State Government to focus on:
1. Increased visible police presence on Chapel Street, including more foot patrols
2. Increased police car patrols in the local area
3. Police pop up shops in the Chapel Street precinct
4. An increased and proactive support service for vulnerable people on the street including more mental health outreach services, more places for drug and alcohol rehabilitation and more accessible emergency housing for homeless people
5. More CCTV cameras, including providing more mobile CCTV options for police and local government to quickly target particular hot spots 6. Better designs of parks such as Prahran Square that dissuade people loitering and have better lighting to create greener and safer.
However, the need for more police in our local area is a paramount consideration for locals, which is why I continue to call for the Allan Labor government to provide additional police resources to help make our local community safer.
I am heartened that our local mayors in both Stonnington and Port Phillip have both publicly backed these calls and it is time the state government addressed our local concerns.
Q4: What role do police play in community safety, and are they currently getting the resources they need to fulfill this role?
Our local police play a vital role in community safety however they are limited with resources and laws that do not support them – weak bail laws and non existent move on powers.
Local Government has the ability to utilise their by laws more to ensure that there is compliance.
Community also has a responsibility to report their concerns so the relevant organisations can assist.
Q5: What is the role of other levels of government (both Federal and Local) in community safety? What more could they be doing now?
Policing is a state government responsibility, and the Allan Labor government must ensure that more police are recruited to tackle the rising levels of crime in our community. The state government cannot continue to pass on responsibility – and the associated costs – onto other levels of government.
Local government can assist by using existing by-laws powers and running joint operations with local police but our local councils do not have the funds or powers to replace police or to deliver the treatment and housing resources that the state government has failed to deliver.
At the recent Federal election, the Liberal Party did promise some additional CCTV for the southern end of Chapel Street, but none of the other parties focused on general community safety initiatives that targeted our local area. But once again, policing is the primary responsibility of state government and unless the Allan Labor government shifts its priorities, our local residents will continue to be let down when it comes to community safety.
