What are we proposing to do?

During our community and stakeholder engagement in 2022, we heard that strengthening leadership, partnerships and community empowerment is a priority for our community. Our draft Safer Communities Strategy and Policy aim to address the key issues raised under this theme.

The following table shows:

  • The main safety concerns identified by the community, and what you told us we can do to improve safety under this priority.
  • Our strategies - which provide direction for how we will work, and outline the areas we will focus on over the next 10 years to improve community safety.
  • Some of the initiatives and actions - which have a narrower focus and describe what we will do to deliver our strategies.

We invite you to review the below, and then let us know in our survey if we have got it right, or if there is something missing.

More more detail, please review the full draft of the Safer Communities Strategy and Policy.

What we heard

What you told us we can do to improve safety

Our strategies

What we know works

Initiatives

How we will deliver this

Actions

A selection of what we will do
Work collaboratively with the community and services to respond to community safety issues



4.1 Build strategic partnerships to strengthen collaboration and coordinated approaches to safer communities




4.1a Build and maintain multi-agency partnerships to foster collaboration on local issues impacting safer communities

4.1b Share knowledge and evidence-based research to drive service system improvements and foster coordinated harm and crime prevention initiatives

4.1c Lead a whole-of-council approach to safer communities to enable innovative and collaborative initiatives that balance outcomes of amenity, inclusion, safety and city vibrancy

Support and actively participate in the Local Safety Committee to enable collaboration on initiatives, advocacy and activities to prevent crime and improve perception of safety




Work with specialist services to assist people most at risk and vulnerable4.2 Empower the community through safe and inclusive community engagement, co-design and Aboriginal self-determination4.2a Create opportunities for the community to actively contribute to planning processes and decisions that affect them

4.2b Empower the community to identify local needs, co-design initiatives and lead change in their local areas to prevent crime and improve perceptions of safety

4.2c Collaborate with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and Traditional Owners to support and promote Aboriginal-led action and Aboriginal self-determination.

Provide community grants to fund community-led initiatives that respond to local needs and provide support.

Partner with the Bunurong Land Council and Traditional Owners to embed Aboriginal cultural values, voices, knowledge and recognition into Council’s work.
4.3 Lead a safe, equitable and inclusive organisational culture where all staff, volunteers and customers feel safe, respected and valued4.3a Embed inclusive practice into organisational culture

4.3b Create culturally safe, inclusive and welcoming services and facilities through policy, procedures and process design

4.3c Strive for internal and external communications to be culturally safe, inclusive and welcoming

4.3d Continue Council’s commitment to creating and maintaining child safe environments

Lead collaborative partnerships across Council to promote a whole-of-council approach to safer communities to oversee the implementation of this strategy and ensure alignment across plans and service initiatives.

Resource the Diversity & Inclusion Group to promote innovative ideas to enact diversity and inclusion within Council’s policies, programs and services.

Regularly review and update Council’s communications policies and guidelines to improve accessibility and inclusion of information provision.

Share your feedback

Complete our survey now to let us know your feedback on our draft Strategy and Policy.