The first phase of Townsville City Council’s Community Safety Audits will start on Monday.
The initiative will cover each of Townsville’s 10 divisions with a view to bolstering well-being and safety across the city.
Mayor Jenny Hill said the audits would lead to the delivery of projects to ensure parks, sporting fields, community centres and public spaces were best resourced to deter anti-social and criminal behaviour.
“Community safety is our top concern, and these audits are an important step to further enhancing the quality of life in Townsville,” Cr Hill said.
“By identifying potential safety concerns and implementing targeted improvements we are taking strong steps to fostering a strong and safer community.”
Cr Hill said the Community Safety Audits will be led by Council’s Community Safety Auditor Clint Drew.
“Mr Drew is a former Queensland Police Officer with a proven track record in enhancing public safety,” she said.
“He brings extensive knowledge and expertise in this space and will work together with councillors, law enforcement, the community and stakeholders to gather the information and give us a clearer idea of what we can do as a Council to reduce anti-social and criminal behaviour.
“These audits will help to identify those opportunities and implement solutions that will have a real impact.
“Initiatives like our Boulder Protection Program has been a huge success however we are going to take things to another level as a result of this process.”
The surveys will be available through Council’s Have Your Say Townsville website from Monday, 14 August.
Community Health, Safety and Environmental Sustainability Committee chairperson Maurie Soars was encouraging the community to get involved.
“The input from the community will be valuable and play a pivotal role in shaping the outcomes of the audits and reinforcing the overall effectiveness of safety measures,” Cr Soars said.
“We will work closely with community groups and residents to get the local knowledge we need to identify areas where improvements can be made to enhance safety for everyone.”
The audit locations in each of Townsville’s 10 divisions will include:
- Peggy Banfield Park
- Deeragun Skate Park
- Snelham Park in Mundingburra
- Townsville District Junior Rugby League Grounds in Kirwan
- Aitkenvale Park
- Wulguru Park
- Flinders Square and Victoria Bridge
- Charles Maroney Park in the Upper Ross
- Murray Skate Park
- Heatley Park
