Armidale Regional Council is inviting residents to help shape the region’s future Crime Prevention Plan by taking part in a community safety survey.
The council has engaged researchers from the University of New England’s Centre for Rural Criminology to examine community attitudes and perceptions of safety across the Armidale Regional Local Government Area. The research will inform a draft Crime Prevention Plan for council consideration.
The survey is the first stage of the project and will gather feedback on how safe residents feel in their neighbourhoods, the issues that concern them and opportunities to improve community safety.
Mayor Sam Coupland said community feedback would be central to the plan’s development.
“Understanding how people feel about safety in their neighbourhoods is an important part of creating communities where people feel secure, connected and supported,” said Coupland.
“We are encouraging all residents to take part in the survey so we can build a clear picture of local concerns and experiences. The more feedback we receive, the better-informed Council and our partners will be when developing crime prevention strategies for our region.”
The research is being led by Dr Kyle Mulrooney, Dr Alistair Harkness and Dr Tarah Hodgkinson from the University of New England. The team will examine community attitudes and perceptions of crime, safety and crime prevention across the Armidale region. The findings will be used to develop recommendations and a draft Crime Prevention Plan.
“People are the experts in their own neighbourhoods,” said Dr Mulrooney.
“Feedback from the community will help us better understand perceptions of safety across Armidale region and identify ways to strengthen community wellbeing and crime prevention.”
Participation in the survey is voluntary and confidential. Responses will be used for research purposes only, and no personally identifying information will be included in any reports.
“I encourage residents to complete the survey and contribute to the future planning of community safety initiatives across the region,” said Coupland.
The survey and more information about the project are available at: https://yoursay.armidale.nsw.gov.au/armidale-regional-council-crime-prevention-plan
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