Social and safety issues in the Mandurah’s central business district have been placed front and centre of several new-look crime mitigation initiatives, lead by the city’s business community.
More than 30 businesses joined representatives from across local government and police to discuss solutions at a forum on October 12.
At the annual forum, “tackling issues together” was highlighted as a key piece to the puzzle of creating a safe central trading space in Mandurah.
In a shift away from local government-lead programs, City of Mandurah’s manager of community development Tim Hartland said the business community was being proactive and taking charge of their safety through initiatives.
From looking out for each to simply starting the conversation with neighbouring stores, businesses were urged to take a pragmatic approach to protect their business from crime.
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While the business community was encouraged to do its part, the City of Mandurah committed to making contributions through environmental management, effective planning, and urban design.
Mandurah mayor Rhys Williams addressed the 53 attendees at the event and stressed the importance of ensuring people were in a safe, livable community.
Mandurah Police officer in charge Senior Sergeant Darren Hart was also in attendance and commended local businesses for their enthusiasm to make positive changes in the future.
“There are all sorts of ways retailers can limit their chances of being victims of crimes,” he said.
Senior Sergeant Hart said it was a matter of thinking outside the box when it came to protecting a business.
“[The design and] layout of the shop can limit opportunities for people to steal from the stop,” he said.
“In hindsight, it’s something that as a business owner you wouldn't really think off when you’re setting your shop up to entice customers in.
“We can offer a slightly different perspective about how, what you’ve done, has perhaps made it easier for a criminal to steal from you.”
He said it was great to see the level of community engagement that was displayed at the forum.
Several key themes from the City of Mandurah’s Community Safety and Crime Prevention Strategy 2017-22 were discussed at the forum.
For more information on those strategies visit the City of Mandurah website or click here.
The local government also hosts annual Crime Prevention Surveys, to view the 2018 results click here.
Follow Caitlyn Rintoul on Twitter via @caitlynrintoul.
