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.
Project Overview
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
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.
Complete the survey here
The survey closed Monday 28 November 2022
Enquiries
If you have any enquiries in relation to the survey or the research project you can contact the research team:
Research Team Contact Details
| Chief Investigator | Investigator | Investigator | Project Manager |
| Dr Emily Moir Email: emoir@usc.edu.au | Professor
Tim Prenzler Email:
tprenzler@usc.edu.au | Dr
Susan Rayment-McHugh Email:
srayment@usc.edu.au | Natalee Cairns Email: ncairns@usc.edu.au |
The purpose of this research project is to understand perceptions of crime and safety in Nambour. If you are 16 years old or older and live, work, or visit Nambour, you are invited to participate in this research project. This project is funded by the Sunshine Coast Council. The survey is anonymous, and the Council will not have access to any individual’s survey responses.
If you agree to participate in this research project, you will be asked to complete an anonymous online survey. The survey will take approximately 5-10 minutes. The survey will ask questions such as: how safe you feel in Nambour, the types of crime and disorder you perceive to be a problem in Nambour, and whether you have witnessed crime occur in Nambour. Your participation is voluntary. If you decide to participate but change your mind during the survey you may exit the survey and your responses will not be saved. Please note that once the survey is complete the research team will be unable to remove your responses as they are not identifiable.
Consent to participate will be confirmed before progressing to the survey. Consent is for your data and information to be collected, stored, and used in analysis and publications in a non-identifiable format. Consent is sought for this project and for related, ethics approved, projects that may be undertaken by this research team. If you are aged 16 or 17, you are encouraged to discuss your participation with a parent or guardian before participating in the survey.
There are minimal risks associated with your participation, which may include responding to questions about safety and witnessing crime in Nambour. Your participation in the survey is anonymous and you can leave the survey at any time. Sometimes thinking about crime and safety can be distressing. If you need to talk to someone, you may wish to contact family or friends, Lifeline (131114), or Beyond Blue (1300 224 636). If you would like to report a crime, you may wish to contact Crime Stoppers (1800 333 000).
It is not anticipated that this research project will directly benefit you but we appreciate your input. Results of the survey will be provided to Council and contribute to understanding crime and safety in Nambour.
Any data collected as a part of this research project will be stored securely as per UniSC’s Research Data Management Procedures. All comments and responses will be treated confidentially unless required by law. The results of this research project may be presented at external or internal conferences or meetings, or by publication. If you would like a summary of findings of this research project, please contact the Chief Investigator (listed above).
If you have any concerns or complaints about the way this research project is being conducted, you may raise them with the Chief Investigator (listed above). If you prefer an independent person, you may contact the Chair of the UniSC Human Research Ethics Committee: telephone (07) 5430 2823; email humanethics@usc.edu.au).
