Nambour was granted Special Entertainment Precinct status by the Queensland Government. The purpose of this research and engagement is to assist council with planning processes by reviewing crime and disorder reduction approaches in town centres and to understand community perceptions of crime and safety in the area. The community survey undertaken as part of this research had 398 responses from residents, workers and visitors of Nambour. There were also three focus groups with 27 participants from across various Nambour community organisations and businesses. The final report presents nine key findings and six recommendations for consideration by council and Nambour community organisations, businesses and residents.
The survey closed on Monday 28 November 2022.
Key Findings of Nambour Community Safety Review Phase 2
Nine collective findings from the review are listed below. These findings are grouped into three themes - (1) Nambour's community, (2) crime and safety concerns, and (3) crime prevention considerations.
Involvement should include relevant local and state government services, police, business, community members, residents, and hard-to-reach groups on a steering committee. Administrative support from the Council should include a nominated project officer. Developing a Memorandum of Understanding between Police and Council is also recommended. The multi-agency crime and disorder partnership should receive training in crime and disorder reduction and multi-agency collaboration.
These patrols should target problem areas and times, be linked to local police and crisis support teams to address disorderly behaviour. Patrols should follow a hierarchy of interventions:
- get to know people, their needs and support options;
- make offers of genuine assistance, e.g., housing, support services, employment opportunities, advocacy, and treatment;
- communicate about unruly intimidating behaviour and community concerns;
- employ techniques of negotiation and de-escalation;
- warn of enforcement action for continued non-compliance;
- make calls for assistance to police (for arrest or further assistance) and/or welfare services as appropriate; and
- consider banning orders for persistent offending.
The Council should explore options around educating business owners, including past programs like Nambour Safe and Business Safe. Awareness raising campaigns regarding crime prevention efforts for community members are also recommended.
Council should focus on improving lighting, removing graffiti and vandalism, repairing footpaths and public facilities, and improving road safety, collaborating with local businesses to repair signage, remove prominent alcohol advertising, and repair dilapidated buildings. Community art projects and murals should continue to be supported.
Family and community events should be supported by Council, and Council should explore ways to encourage creative uses of space to promote activity and reduce difficulties in obtaining permits for small local events.
The implementation of recommendations and crime prevention programs within Nambour and ongoing development as part of the SEP should continue to be monitored and evaluated. A variety of data sources should be used, including crime data, perceptions of stakeholders, business operators, residents, and hard-to-reach groups, to monitor identified issues and progress and rigorously evaluate initiatives.
Nambour was recently granted Special Entertainment Precinct (view map of area) status by the Queensland Government, with plans by the Sunshine Coast Council to widen employment and community engagement opportunities in the town centre through the expansion of live music venues and associated night-time entertainment. Development of entertainment zones of this type have the potential to provide numerous long-term benefits but also present a variety of crime-related risks.
This project forms part of the recommendations of Nambour Community Safety Review Phase 1 (submitted in February 2022). Phase 2 will extend the work completed by the UniSC research team and continue to assist planning processes by reviewing policing models of town centers, community members and business stakeholders’ perceptions of crime and safety in the area, and potential risks for crime and disorder in Nambour.
Project elements
1. An account of the academic literature regarding best practices in managing crime risks in town centre improvement programs
2. An analysis of auditor comments from the CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) audit conducted in Nambour by the UniSC team in 2021
3. An analysis of crime types and locations in the Nambour town centre
4. Survey of Nambour residents about perceptions of crime and safety
5. Study of Nambour stakeholders to assess perceptions of safety and management in the Nambour CBD
6. A practical final report including strategies to minimise crime and safety problems in Nambour
This project will assist council, community, business groups and local residents to better understand the perceptions of safety for Nambour. This understanding can enhance activation of public space, community cohesion and business confidence that will strengthen connection to Nambour, and the Special Entertainment Precinct, and broader CBD
Next Steps
The next steps following this engagement will be analysis of the feedback collected and comparing it to previous research.
Analysis of the feedback will be communicated through media channels or directly to community group members.
The findings from this engagement will be included in the overall research project report.
