Wagga’s unenviable position as a regional crime capital has prompted a review of the city’s crime prevention plan.
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A disturbing rise in domestic violence, theft and drug offences was identified in the plan, which was developed with the help of Wagga police.
According to the plan, Wagga had a higher rate of crime than many other council areas, with domestic assaults increasing by 7.5 per cent per year and thefts rising beyond the state average. Tolland, Ashmont and Kooringal were also highlighted for their higher-than-average crime rates.
Wagga Neighbourhood Watch president Wayne Deaner said council needed to learn the lessons from those suburbs when preparing for the future growth of the city, which was tipped to grow beyond 85,000 people by 2040.
“People need to get behind neighbourhood watch and put pressure on council to incorporate better design that doesn’t encourage criminal activity,” Mr Deaner said.
“Wagga’s out of control, these are our suburbs, lets take control back.”
Mayor Greg Conkey said Tolland was a classic example where a number of alleyways between houses made it easy for people to escape from police after committing a crime.
“We’re mindful of that and we’re taking an approach to make it harder in future… a number, if not all of them, have been closed,” Councillor Conkey said.
However, he said there were no plans to increase the number of CCTV cameras in Wagga.
“We’re mindful of the fact that they certainly have been helpful in preventing situations for crime,” he said.
“Whether we need to extend it to other areas like suburban shopping centres in something to think about but it’s not on the agenda at this stage.”
Superintendent Bob Noble from Wagga Local Area Command said “safer by design” principles also had to be applied as the city prepared to grow in the next 20 years.
“Electronic surveillance is important but also natural surveillance, allowing people going about their business to observe what’s going on around them and that’s a deterrent in itself,” he said.
“When designing spaces, allowing for pedestrian or vehicle access, making way for pets, that can limit or exclude certain groups from areas.”
If councillors approve the plan, it will be placed on public exhibition next week.