Eurobodalla
Safety
What the results tell us for Eurobodalla
Eurobodalla residents feel that they live in a relatively safe community. According to statistics for the shire (see Table 1), robberies and other offences against the person remained at low levels between 1999 and 2003. Over the same period, there were three murders, one attempted murder and one manslaughter (driving). Assault rates were higher than per capita rates for NSW in the five years to 2003, as was the rate of malicious damage to property.
Making the shire safer
A community survey in 2004 showed that almost all residents of the shire felt safe in their neighbourhood during the day, but were less comfortable walking about the streets at night. Safety at night is a well-recognised issue in the community. To help address it, council supported street marches under the banner of 'claim the night' during 2000–01. Council staff have also been trained in the Safer by Design Program that involves police and the council working together to apply Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design principles to development applications. All major development proposals in the shire are assessed against these principles.
Many community-based organisations are active in Eurobodalla Shire, under the auspices of the NSW Police. These include Neighbourhood Watch and Business Watch. The School Safety House scheme and women's refuge centres are also in operation. Several of these and other services interact with council either as a direct service provider or as a provider on behalf of the state or federal government. Other services supported by council include Life Education, road safety programs such as 'Stop the 4 O'Clock Knock' (a community volunteer program) and 'Safe Driver Training for Youth', a community program delivered at Surfair Speedway.
During the reporting period the Eurobodalla community raised concerns regarding safety and noise from personal watercraft (jet ski) activities in waterways around the shire. After a series of public meetings, discussions with the NSW Maritime Authority (formerly the Waterways Authority) and representations to the NSW Minister for Ports, a proposal to ban the use of these craft in certain areas was agreed. Since the end of the reporting period a number of beach and estuarine areas adjacent to residential areas have had trial bans put in place. The bans will be reviewed in September 2005.
Tackling anti-social behaviour
Within Eurobodalla Shire there is cooperative effort between council, police, chambers of commerce and community groups to minimise anti-social behaviour. Liaison meetings to reduce incidents are held either in response to, or in anticipation of, events such as New Year's Eve or 'schoolies week'. In conjunction with local clubs, strict out-of-hours drinking and security are in place, together with cooperation from local food outlets in managing appropriate operating hours. Alcohol free zones have been established in central business district streets, neighbourhood shopping centres and in key reserves near car parks and children's playgrounds. Council has approved crush parties and given development consent for a rural property to hold rave parties six times a year in an effort to provide entertainment for the shire's younger residents.
Council, police, and other involved parties have also been preparing strategies for managing those events that have previously caused problems, such as New Year's Eve and 'schoolies week', but the results of these strategies will not be known until after the events have concluded. Council has worked with the local community following complaints with the conduct of the Broulee New Year's Eve impromptu gatherings and is arranging a professionally organised and secure function to be held in Batemans Bay instead.
Road safety
Road safety was of particular concern to residents of Eurobodalla and other shires along the Princes Highway and Kings Highway. Statistics for accidents, including fatalities have led to the combined efforts of the NRMA and Southern Councils Group (representing all six south coastal councils) to form 'Phocus' to lobby state and federal governments for increased funding for those highways. The results of an audit of the Princes Highway, conducted in 2005, can be viewed at http://www.mynrma.com.au/safer_roads_princes_highway_audit.asp.
Council has a strategy in place to improve the range of retail outlets and facilities and health services to reduce retail leakage and the demand to travel outside of towns or the shire for health care. This should also reduce demand for highway use and car dependency.
| Type of offence | Number of offences in each year | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | |
| Homicide | |||||||
| Murder* | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Attempted murder | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Murder accessory, conspiracy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Manslaughter - not driving* | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Manslaughter - driving* | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - |
| Driving causing death^ # | - | - | - | 0 | |||
| Assault | 266 | 347 | 371 | 408 | 406 | 466 | 421 |
| Sexual offences | |||||||
| Sexual assault | 20 | 28 | 14 | 26 | 32 | 18 | 30 |
| Indecent assault, act of indecency | 32 | 26 | 28 | 31 | 25 | 22 | 10 |
| Other sexual offences | 14 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 10 | 10 |
| Abduction and kidnapping | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Robbery | |||||||
| Robbery without a weapon | 4 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Robbery with a firearm | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Robbery with a weapon not a firearm | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Other offences against the person | 3 | 21 | 41 | 42 | 71 | 69 | 88 |
| Theft | |||||||
| Break and enter - dwelling | 323 | 410 | 328 | 333 | 205 | 243 | 333 |
| Break and enter - non-dwelling | 587 | 369 | 296 | 242 | 208 | 221 | 181 |
| Possess implements | 9 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 6 |
| Receiving | 13 | 11 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Goods in custody | 30 | 27 | 17 | 21 | 30 | 28 | 39 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 76 | 95 | 83 | 76 | 65 | 119 | 116 |
| Steal from motor vehicle | 353 | 398 | 350 | 278 | 248 | 319 | 335 |
| Steal from retail store | 98 | 103 | 84 | 79 | 85 | 121 | 115 |
| Steal from dwelling | 205 | 244 | 207 | 209 | 188 | 236 | 254 |
| Steal from person | 15 | 14 | 11 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 19 |
| Stock theft | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| Fraud | 85 | 90 | 66 | 71 | 45 | 95 | 71 |
| Other theft | 326 | 333 | 273 | 311 | 289 | 321 | 309 |
| Demand money with menaces | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Extortion, blackmail | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Arson | 10 | 15 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 24 | 15 |
| Malicious damage to property | 466 | 516 | 549 | 500 | 523 | 500 | 629 |
| Drug offences | |||||||
| Possession and/or use of cocaine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Possession and/or use of narcotics | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Possession and/or use of cannabis | 144 | 137 | 123 | 127 | 106 | 111 | 86 |
| Possession and/or use of other drugs | 2 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 8 | 11 |
| Dealing, trafficking in cocaine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dealing, trafficking in narcotics | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dealing, trafficking in cannabis | 22 | 14 | 6 | 23 | 24 | 7 | 5 |
| Dealing, trafficking in other drugs | 3 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 4 | 17 |
| Cultivating cannabis | 45 | 36 | 45 | 40 | 42 | 27 | 32 |
| Importing drugs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other drug offences | 43 | 34 | 41 | 25 | 21 | 26 | 31 |
| Offensive behaviour | |||||||
| Offensive conduct | 47 | 65 | 78 | 52 | 36 | 48 | 46 |
| Offensive language | 54 | 106 | 122 | 75 | 101 | 62 | 35 |
| Prostitution offences | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Betting and gaming offences | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Weapons offences | 26 | 38 | 43 | 65 | 75 | 65 | 54 |
| Against justice procedures | |||||||
| Escapee - Corrective Services custody | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Escapee - Police custody | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Escapee - juvenile detention | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Escapee - other custody | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Breach Apprehended Violence Order | 37 | 82 | 73 | 98 | 105 | 103 | 90 |
| Breach bail conditions | 23 | 15 | 23 | 18 | 22 | 49 | 60 |
| Breach of recognizance | 3 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Fail to appear | 13 | 9 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 8 |
| Other offences against justice procedures | 69 | 82 | 64 | 51 | 61 | 81 | 43 |
| Driving offences# | |||||||
| Culpable driving | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| PCA | 112 | 162 | 253 | 217 | 199 | 243 | - |
| Drive while disqualified | 51 | 91 | 124 | 105 | 101 | 124 | - |
| Drive manner/speed dangerous | 15 | 10 | 22 | 11 | 14 | 20 | - |
| Other driving offences | 161 | 289 | 315 | 446 | 2075 | 2778 | - |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs^ | - | - | - | 11 | |||
| Dangerous or negligent driving^ | - | - | - | 206 | |||
| Driving while licence cancelled or suspended^ | - | - | - | 94 | |||
| Driving without a licence^ | - | - | - | 195 | |||
| Driving licence offences, nec^ | - | - | - | 320 | |||
| Registration offences^ | - | - | - | 770 | |||
| Roadworthiness offences^ | - | - | - | 7 | |||
| Exceeding the prescribed content of alcohol limit^ | - | - | - | 209 | |||
| Exceeding legal speed limit^ | - | - | - | 1099 | |||
| Parking offences^ | - | - | - | 5 | |||
| Regulatory driving offences, nec^ | - | - | - | 978 | |||
| Other offences | 134 | 225 | 242 | 263 | 260 | 388 | 356 |
Source: Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research;
Notes: nec = not elsewhere classified; * Number of recorded victims; ^ Number of legal actions commenced, including referrals to court and infringement notices; # In July 2003, NSW Police changed the way they classify traffic incidents. The incidence of specific driving offences could no longer be determined directly from police incident categories. In response to this change, from 2003 onwards, the unit of measurement used by the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research when reporting driving offences was the number of legal actions commenced by police rather than the number of incidents recorded. Legal actions include infringement notices, court referrals, formal cautions under the Young Offenders Act and Youth Conference referrals. From 2003 onwards, the driving offences reported accord with those in the Australian Standard Offence Classification (ASOC).
About the data
Crime Statistics are from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, viewed 16 May 2005, at http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/bocsar1.nsf/pages/lga_alphalist.
Recorded crime statistics represent incidents recorded by the police (see explanatory notes on the website http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/bocsar/ll_bocsar.nsf/pages/bocsar_lga_notes).
Information on perceptions of safety and council safety issues was provided by Eurobodalla Shire Council.
Other information was obtained from the Safer by Design Program link, viewed 16 May 2005, at http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/community_issues.