SUTHERLAND SHIRE CRIME PREVENTION PLAN 2018 - 2021

Prepared by Economic and Community Development

Tel: 9710 0152

2

CONTENTS

MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR OF SUTHERLAND SHIRE COUNCIL ............................... 3

CRIME DATA ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................... 5

SELECTION OF THE PRIORITY OFFENCES ...................................................................... 6

REASONS FOR THE SELECTION ................................................................................... 6

RELATED STRATEGIC DOCUMENTS ................................................................................ 7

SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS .................................................................................................... 8

PRIORITY OFFENCE 1: MALICIOUS DAMAGE – GRAFFITI ........................................... 8

PRIORITY OFFENCE 2: ASSAULT – DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RELATED ...................... 11

IMPLEMENTATION, MONITORING & EVALUATION ......................................................... 14

WORKING COLLABORATIVELY WITH STAKEHOLDERS ............................................ 14

SUTHERLAND SHIRE CRIME PREVENTION PLAN 2018 - 2021 ACTION PLAN ............. 15

3

MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR OF SUTHERLAND SHIRE COUNCIL

The Sutherland Shire is a great place for many reasons. One of these reasons is that it is a safe place for individuals and families to live, work and play.

Our low crime rates are a result of the emphasis that our community places on both being safe and feeling safe. Our community rightly expects that Council, Police and other stakeholders are working collaboratively to reduce crime.

This collaboration is reflected in the Sutherland Shire Crime Prevention Plan 2018 – 2021. We are building on the success of the previous Crime Prevention Plan 2014 -2017 which focused on graffiti vandalism and alcohol-related assault. The initiatives put in place over the last four years contributed to a reduction across all of the major offence categories in the Sutherland Shire.

The Sutherland Shire Crime Prevention Plan 2018 - 2021 identifies a range of actions that will continue to improve our response to graffiti vandalism and also address domestic and family violence. While vastly different issues, they share a complex, cyclical nature that requires a whole-of-community response.

Carmelo Pesce

Mayor

4

INTRODUCTION TO THE SUTHERLAND SHIRE

The Sutherland Shire is located on the southern coastal fringe of metropolitan Sydney. It is one of the largest local government areas in NSW by population size, with approximately 230,000 residents and 88,000 households.1

In 2011 the Sutherland Shire local government area (LGA) was ranked 138th out of 153 NSW LGAs for relative socio-economic disadvantage.2 This indicator is derived from local attributes within the Shire that reflect disadvantage, including low income, jobs in relatively unskilled occupations, high unemployment and low educational attainment.3 Our low ranking on this scale is proportionate to our relatively low rate of crime.

Within the Sutherland Shire, Miranda had the highest level of socio-economic disadvantage, with a rank of 59. This still represents a lower level of disadvantage than the average rank for Greater Sydney (52), New South Wales (43) and Australia (47).4

1 NSW Department of Planning Population Projections, 2016 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics, Socio-economic Index for Areas (SEIFA) data, 2011 3 .idcommunity at http://profile.id.com.au/sutherland, 11 April 2017. 4 ibid

5

CRIME DATA ANALYSIS

How the Sutherland Shire compares to NSW based on 5 year trends across most major offence categories

Offence Percentage below NSW

average in 20155

Five Year Trends (2012-2016)

Malicious damage to property (includes but is not limited to graffiti)

- 22% Incidents reduced by 29% from 1,843 in 2012 to 1,306 in 2016

Steal from motor vehicle - 40%

Incidents reduced by 31% over the period with a peak of 935 incidents in 2013 decreasing to 614 incidents in 2016.

Steal from retail - 41% A spike of 44% between 2014 and 2016, possibly related to large scale retail development at Miranda.

Assault (not domestic violence related) - 42%

Stable over the period, decreasing by 28% in 2012-2014 and then increasing again by 28% between 2014-2016

Motor vehicle theft - 47% A 31% reduction from 282 incidents in 2012 to 193 in 2016.

Assault (domestic violence related) - 48%

Reported incidents decreased between 2012 and 2013 but have been increasing ever since, with 486 incidents reported in 2016.

Break and enter dwelling - 55%

Incidents increased between 2011 and 2013, overall decreased by 33% between 2012-2016, with 350 incidents in 2016

Robbery (all subcategories) - 58% 18 reported incidents in 2016, a

reduction of 74% since 2012.

5 Rate per 100,000 population, Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, 2015

6

SELECTION OF THE PRIORITY OFFENCES

The two focus crime categories for the Sutherland Shire Crime Prevention Plan 2018 - 2021 selected in consultation with Police and the community are: 1. Malicious Damage to Property – Graffiti. 2. Assault - Domestic Violence related.

REASONS FOR THE SELECTION Although very different in nature, these are two crime areas that share a complex, cyclical nature and are likely to be significantly under-reported. The prevalence of these offences is also likely to be a lot higher than what the statistics indicate.

1. Assault - Domestic Violence related The consequences of domestic and family violence are far reaching. For the individual victim it can result in physical, emotional and mental trauma, family breakdown and homelessness with long-term consequences for children. Socially, it can create poor intergenerational health, education, employment and crime outcomes. Statistics show that domestic violence related events, or at least the reporting of these events, has been increasing since 2013. Despite this, it is considered to be significantly under-reported, with the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research identifying that less than half of all people who have been a victim of domestic violence report the incident to police. The ageing population is particularly vulnerable to domestic violence. Parents are more likely to have adult children living with them for longer periods and over time may become dependent on these children and other caregivers for home-based care. There is concern that the domestic abuse of older people will increase as the population ages, yet this group is statistically even less likely to report domestic violence compared with other victims of the same offence. 2. Malicious Damage to Property – Graffiti Graffiti in public places tends to impact negatively on a larger proportion of the community because it lends itself to a perception of poor safety and can ‘deactivate’ whole areas, particularly at night, resulting in poor social and economic outcomes.

Despite a good overall reduction in reported incidents over the period 2011-2015, graffiti vandalism in the Sutherland Shire is higher than all neighbouring LGAs and is approaching on the Sydney Statistical Division average. Council’s Community Research Survey suggests that Council’s management of graffiti is not meeting community expectations.

7

RELATED STRATEGIC DOCUMENTS

Organisation Strategic Plan or Policy

NSW Government NSW State Plan 2021: - Local Government Areas to have stable or falling

reported violent crime rates by 2019.

NSW Police Force Corporate Plan 2016-2018 - Prevent and reduce domestic violence. - Maintain safe public places.

NSW Domestic and Family Violence Blueprint for reform 2016-2021. Healthy, Safe and Well: A Strategic Health Plan for Children, Young People and Families

Preventing and Responding to the Abuse of Older People – NSW Interagency Policy 2015

Sutherland Shire Council Sutherland Shire Community Strategic Plan

8

SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

PRIORITY OFFENCE 1: MALICIOUS DAMAGE – GRAFFITI Malicious damage to property refers to deliberate damage to public and private assets such as fires, smashing windows, defacing property with markings and/or graphics without the owner’s consent. Graffiti vandalism is constituted by the use of a graffiti implement (i.e. spray can, a marker pen, or any other implement designed or modified to produce a mark that is not readily removable by wiping or by use of water or detergent). It is an offence under both the NSW Crimes Act 1900 and NSW Graffiti Control Act 2008.

KEY POINTS IN THE SHIRE • Sutherland Shire is ranked 4th highest of the top 10 local government areas in

New South Wales for the number of recorded graffiti incidents. Hotspot suburbs in the Shire are Cronulla, Caringbah, Menai and Sutherland.

• The graffiti culture in the Sutherland Shire is predominantly word-based ‘tagging’. Offenders are motivated by peer recognition within the graffiti subculture. The level of notoriety is often measured against the number of highly visible tags and the risks taken to execute the crime.

• There are a number of success indicators to reduce graffiti vandalism, including immediate reporting and rapid removal. A fast turnaround reduces opportunities for taggers to gain notoriety, thereby reducing their motivation to reoffend and breaking the graffiti cycle.

• Preventative techniques are encapsulated in the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) paradigm, and include surveillance, territorial enforcement, access control and management

• Respondents to the 2016 Sutherland Shire Community Research Report felt that graffiti impacts their quality of life. They were less likely to agree with the statement that “Graffiti is adequately controlled” particularly in Council Ward C (spanning Caringbah, Sylvania, Kareela to Jannali).

9

Top 10 Ranked NSW LGAs for Graffiti6 Rank Local Government Area Number of incidents

1 Wyong 399

2 Lake Macquarie 353

3 Sydney 350

4 Sutherland Shire 335 5 Blacktown 309

6 Newcastle 270

7 Blue Mountains 256

8 Wollongong 229

9 Marrickville 152

10 Gosford 147

Key Situational Factors for Graffiti Incidents7

Offence Hotspot areas for removal

Priority time and days

Likely victims Offender profile

Malicious damage to property (includes Graffiti)

Cronulla 450 incidents Caringbah 228 incidents Menai 108 incidents Sutherland 107 incidents

Friday and Saturday nights between 6pm and 12am

Key month: September.

Residential property 562 incidents Outdoor public spaces 338 incidents Public transport 191 incidents Retail/wholesale 107 incidents

Males between 10-17 years.

6 NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research at www.crimeprevention.nsw.gov.au, 11 April 2017. 7 AUSGR database, 2016 Calendar year

10

Sutherland Shire Graffiti Hotspots October 2015 - September 20168

8 NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, 2016

11

PRIORITY OFFENCE 2: ASSAULT – DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RELATED Domestic and family violence refers to physical, psychological and other harm committed by the perpetrator against somebody they are in a domestic relationship with. It may include a range of behaviours including emotional, psychological and financial abuse, stalking and intimidation as well as physical and sexual assaults as defined in the NSW Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act 2007.

KEY POINTS IN THE SHIRE

• There has been an increasing trend in the number of domestic violence related assaults recorded since 2013, with 486 incidents recorded in 2016.

• In 2016, Sutherland Shire was ranked 114th out of 139 local government areas, with an average rate of 214.8 incidents per 100,000 head of population.

• Engadine, Menai, Caringbah and Cronulla are the suburbs with the highest reported incidents of domestic violence.

• In 2016, female victims tended to be between 25-44 years old and male victims between 35-44 years old.

• “Abuse of an older person” is a category in which 10% male victims and 7% of female victims were characterised in 2016.

• Alcohol and drug use is reported as a contributing factor in more than a third of recorded offences.

12

Five year trend for domestic violence assaults9

Regional domestic violence comparison, 201610 NSW Rank

Local Government Area Rate per 100,000 population

52 Sydney 466.5 59 Bankstown 424.7 77 Rockdale 348.6 81 Hurstville 323.8 86 Canterbury 311.7 91 Botany Bay 294.1 99 Kogarah 262.1 105 Randwick 250.3 108 Marrickville 236.1 110 Leichhardt 233.2 111 Waverley 232.5 114 Sutherland Shire LGA 214.8 116 Ashfield 206.6 120 Burwood 199.2 126 Woollahra 148.4

9 NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, 2016. 10 Ibid, Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils members prior to Council amalgamations.

13

Sutherland Shire Domestic Violence Hotspots October 2015 - September 201611

Key situational factors for domestic violence assaults12

Hotspot Priority time/ day Likely victims Offender profile

Hotspot suburbs

Sutherland LAC: Engadine followed by Menai.

Miranda LAC: Cronulla followed by Caringbah.

Key month: July.

Key time and day: Fridays between 6pm and 12 midnight.

Females aged 40+, followed by females between 18 and 29 years.

Males aged 40+, followed by males between 20 and 29 years.

11 NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) 2016. 12 Miranda and Sutherland Local Area Police Command Crime Data.

14

IMPLEMENTATION, MONITORING & EVALUATION

WORKING COLLABORATIVELY WITH STAKEHOLDERS NSW Police Force

The NSW Police Force, represented by the Miranda and Sutherland Local Area Commands, has primary responsibility for reducing crime in the local area by identifying and apprehending offenders, deterring opportunities for offending and monitoring crime trends to highlight emerging issues and hotspot locations.

Locally, the Commands facilitate meetings of the Sutherland Shire Crime Prevention and Community Safety Precinct Committee which meets bi-monthly to discuss crime issues and effective solutions to identified problems.

Sutherland Shire Domestic Violence Committee

The Sutherland Shire Domestic Violence Committee was established in 2005 and is comprised of representatives from NSW Police Force, Council and the community. It has developed a number of award winning domestic violence prevention projects including community awareness campaigns and provides a platform for sector development toward best practice domestic violence interventions and victim support.

Abuse of Older People Collaborative

Local government and community organisations have formed a partnership to heighten awareness of the abuse and neglect of people over the age of 65. This interagency will have a lead role in implementing initiatives addressing abuse of older people, including improvements to reporting outcomes at the local level.

Sutherland Shire Council

Sutherland Shire Council will be responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Plan. Council will provide biannual status updates to the Sutherland Shire Crime Prevention and the Community Safety Precinct Committee and the NSW Attorney General. Council will evaluate the Plan with a focus on outcomes, emerging issues and future priority areas. The evaluation will be supported by a Local Protocol that Council shares with local police commands for the exchange of information and inter-agency cooperation. Police data will be requested in accordance with this agreement in order to evaluate the impact of actions in reducing the priority offences. Council will also draw upon information recorded on internal systems, NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research data and information provided by project partners to evaluate the Plan.

15

SUTHERLAND SHIRE CRIME PREVENTION PLAN 2018 - 2021 ACTION PLAN

Target offence: Malicious damage to property - Graffiti Rationale for the crime prevention approach: The use of Crime Prevention Though Environmental Design principles coupled with a rapid removal policy and youth engagement have proven to be successful at deterring graffiti vandalism. Objective:

• To remove visible graffiti swiftly. • To reduce the reoccurrence of graffiti at identified hotspot locations. • To break the cycle of graffiti offending by juvenile offenders.

Lead agency and partners:

• Sutherland Shire Council (Lead agency) • NSW Police Force – Miranda and Sutherland Local Area Commands (Project partner) • Sutherland PCYC (Project partner) • Chamber of Commerce (Project partner) • Local Rotary Clubs (Project partner) • Volunteer Graffiti Removal Squads auspiced through local non-government organisations (Project partner).

Expected outcomes:

• Visible graffiti is reduced at identified hotspot locations. • NSW Police Force records fewer incidents. • Engagement by commercial and residential property owners/tenants in graffiti management education and outcomes. • Engagement by juvenile offenders in education and reduced recidivism.

16

Initiative Key Performance Indicators Timeframe

1. Rapid removal of graffiti from council property.

Maintenance of Council’s service standards including: • Remove non-offensive graffiti on council property within 7 days;

2 days for offensive incidents. • Remove 80% of all graffiti reported to council within 7 days.

Ongoing

2. Graffiti Reduction Intervention Program (GRIP)

• Increasing numbers of participants educated and engaged • Reduced recidivism by program participants.

Ongoing

3. Prevent public domain graffiti vandalism at hotspot locations13

• Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED)

principles implemented to reduce graffiti vandalism at identified sites, includes greenscreening, anti-graffiti coatings, wall murals etc.

Ongoing

4. Crime Prevention principles are integrated into environmental planning outcomes

• CPTED integrated into Council’s development assessment

processes and appropriate referrals are made to NSW Police and/or Council’s Economic & Community Development Team

Ongoing

5.

Engage commercial and residential property owners and tenants in graffiti management and prevention

• Residents and businesses educated, empowered and engaged • Distribution of individual graffiti removal kits • Resourcing of community-based volunteer graffiti removal

squads

2018/19

13 Aspects of initiatives 3 & 5 are subject to external funding provision

17

SUTHERLAND SHIRE CRIME PREVENTION PLAN 2018 - 2021 ACTION PLAN Target offence: Assault - Domestic Violence related Rationale for the crime prevention approach selected:

• Recognition that a collaborative approach is required to break the cycle of violence through initiatives including education, risk identification, improvements to reporting and referral pathways, victim support and perpetrator behavioural change.

• Identification of gaps in education and service provision for children aged 0-18 • Identification of abuse and neglect in older persons in an ageing population increasingly dependent on home-based care.

Objective:

• To promote and support local services and improve risk identification, referral and reporting pathways. • To increase awareness about family and domestic violence, particularly impacts on younger and older victims of abuse. • To reduce gaps and support new innovative family and domestic violence programs and services. • To increase engagement in accredited perpetrator behaviour change programs. • To promote community responsibility and bystander engagement in relation to domestic and family violence.

Lead agency and partners:

• NSW Police Force, NSW Health, specifically local hospitals and Health Centres and NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian. • Sutherland Shire Domestic Violence Committee (SSDVC) and partnering agencies, including local domestic violence

projects run by non-government organisations.

Expected outcomes: • Increased reporting of incidents of domestic violence before reduction becomes evident. • Services report better integration, fewer gaps and more efficient referral and reporting processes. • Individuals and families at all life stages are receiving support and education to break the cycle of abuse.

18

Initiative Key Performance Indicators Timeframe

1. Support community service provision and information sharing

• Gaps identified and systems changed. • Reporting and referral processes more efficient and user friendly • Services financially supported and sustainable • NSW Police DV Disclosure Scheme supported. • Collaboration by stakeholders in community events

Ongoing

2.

Engage a wide range of personal service and care providers in risk identification, referrals and reporting

• Resources/workshops to support personal service and care workers

to identify risk, provide referrals and report abuse. • Increased reporting to NSW Police

Biannual workshops

3. Target early intervention for all children aged 0-18.

• Education on domestic/family violence impacts on young children • Sustainable accredited child safety workshops in early childhood

centres, primary and secondary schools underpinned by trauma informed practices

Biannual workshops

4. Support perpetrators to engage in accredited behaviour change programs.

• Increasing referrals and participation rates in accredited programs.

Ongoing

5. Identify opportunities to support a wide range of domestic and family violence victims.

• Information and access to targeted services for male victims, seniors,

CALD and LGBQTI communities • Elder Abuse Helpline & Resource Unit supported and promoted

Ongoing

6. Improve housing outcomes for victims of domestic and family violence

• Safe crisis accommodation available • Victims supported to live safely in their own homes

Ongoing

7. Challenge societal attitudes and responses to family and domestic violence

• Community campaigns that address responsibility and response Ongoing