Council has a long commitment to community safety and crime prevention, commencing in 1988 with the establishment of the Community Consultative Committee.  This commitment is demonstrated through the current Community Safety Committee, where issues regarding crime and safety are discussed.

Across Australia, crime rates are declining, perhaps because of improved socio-economic conditions overall.  Although there is no crime wave in Woollahra and its rate of crime can be considered to be stable, overall, Woollahra has rated in the Top 50 Local Government Areas in NSW over the past two years in the offences of steal from person, steal from a motor vehicle, break and enter, robbery and motor vehicle theft.

Council adopted the Crime Prevention Plan (PDF file, 336 kb) in January 2007. It has been developed to reduce the public’s fear of crime and actual crime from occurring in Woollahra.  The Plan incorporates issues arising from consultations with the police, the community and service providers, analyses the crime statistics of Woollahra and identifies various crime prevention strategies for implementation.  It aims at providing Council with a framework to implement strategies to prevent crime so that public and private spaces are safe, attractive and well cared for. This will encourage the prevention of criminal activity so the community can freely interact in all aspects of community life.

Aims of the Crime Prevention Plan

The Crime Prevention Plan aims to identify and address crime prevention to:

• make Woollahra a safe place in which to live, work and visit
• identify priorities for strategic action to decrease crime, fear of crime and to reduce anti social behaviour
• ensure that public places are safe, attractive and well cared for so that fear of crime is reduced and spaces are well used by the community
• ensure that community services and activities, which prevent or deter anti-social behaviour and/or support vulnerable groups and victims of crime, are available
• facilitate development of a community with strong social bonds, where people take a pride in their neighbourhood and public spaces
• raise awareness of home and community safety measures through promotion and availability
• ensure that crime prevention programs and projects are accessible to people with a disability and provided in a manner that is linguistically and culturally appropriate, and 
• monitor priority crime problems.

The role of Council, the police and the community

A number of agencies have a role in the prevention of crime, including Federal, State and Local Government, the police and the wider community.  Council has four important roles in crime prevention that include; designing out crime, addressing the social causes of offending, coordinating safety strategies in partnership with others and the promotion of crime prevention awareness.

The community at large can assist crime prevention efforts by providing information about crime to Police and by working in partnership with Police through initiatives such as Volunteers in Policing, Neighbourhood Watch and Community Safety Committees.

For further details please contact:

Community Development Officer
Telephone: 9391 7191
Fax: 9391 7044

View our Crime Prevention Plan (PDF file, 336 kb)

View our Community Safety Committee and Minutes