Townsville City Council has worked to strengthen its Safe Places Townsville Community Action Plan to better advocate for the community amidst ongoing property crime in the city.
At yesterday’s Ordinary Council Mayor Jenny Hill sought to invest in Council’s existing community resources, through a motion to Council where she again expressed her frustration at the alarming rate of property crime in Townsville.
Cr Hill put forward a motion for Council to further invest in safety by employing a dedicated and suitably qualified person to work with Council staff and key stakeholders to deliver the objectives outlined in the plan.
“Council has been doing what they can within the scope of local governments, but is now stepping up and calling on other levels of government to do the same to help promote community safety and amenity in Townsville,” Cr Hill said.
“We have a responsibility to come to the table with proposed solutions. While we do not have a policing or judicial role, Council can be an advocate for our city to be as safe as possible.”
“We can play a role in making sure the public domain is safe and ensure people feel safe – whether it be in parks or on the street.
“We also can provide the opportunity for people who have committed property offences to engage in meaningful work to clean up our city – whether it be through removing graffiti, through cleaning up our parks, or tidying up our streets.”
Without comprehensive quantitative data sets, it is difficult to convincingly argue for changes in State or Federal legislation, policy or funding arrangements that would benefit the community.
The Mayor’s proposal includes bolstering resources to deliver the Safe Places Townsville Community Action Plan and work directly with other levels of government and relevant state departments to come up with strategies to deal with anti-social behaviour and criminal activity.
“The adoption of this action plan will inform our participation in those discussions and ensure that we are doing all that we can to address these issues in our community,” Cr Hill said.
“Council has no jurisdiction in the fight against property crime but as councillors, we have a responsibility to advocate for our community