IT’S been said often enough that perception is reality, but what should we do when that perception is flawed?
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That’s the problem facing local police and the local council following the release of Bathurst Regional Council’s draft community safety plan.
Because, while official figures show crime is falling in most categories across the region, surveys conducted in preparing the report found many residents were feeling less safe than in previous years.
In fact, one-in-four survey participants said they felt unsafe out on the streets at night.
That’s a terrible result for a regional centre like Bathurst that uses its distance from big city crime as one of the selling points for newcomers.
Clearly, the strategy of simply reporting the facts about falling crime is not working. Council, and police, must try something new.
Tellingly, the answer to this problem might also be contained in the safety plan.
Residents remain wedded to the idea that a council-run closed circuit television program in the CBD would not only help police apprehend offenders, but also act as a deterrent to criminals.
That, in turn, would encourage more people out on the streets at night and, of course, an increase in the number of people on the streets also adds to a sense of security. It’s a win-win.
The stumbling block, still, is a report commissioned by council last year that determined CCTV was not a cost-effective way to fight crime.
Maybe not, but that report could put no value on a community’s perception of safety.
It’s time for council to take another look at CCTV. If the community wants it, and is willing to pay for it, then council should deliver it.