Parliament of Victoria Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee
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Parliament of Victoria Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee Neighbourhood Watch Victoria Incorporated Date: 30th May2011 Parliament of Victoria - Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee Submission from Neighbourhood Watch Victoria Incorporated Contents Terms of Reference .......................................................................................................... 3 Response to Term of Reference (a) .................................................................................. 4 Response to Term of Reference (b) .................................................................................. 4 Neighbourhood Watch .................................................................................................. 4 Structure of Neighbourhood Watch Victoria Incorporated (NHW).......................... 4 Board of Management ............................................................................................... 5 NHW’s structure is similar to that of Victoria Police ............................................... 5 Victoria Police Support ................................................................................................. 6 Safer Communities Unit ............................................................................................ 6 Future Police Involvement ........................................................................................ 7 Neighbourhood Watch Membership ............................................................................. 8 Eastern Region: ......................................................................................................... 8 Southern Metro Region ........................................................................................... 10 Western Region ....................................................................................................... 11 Membership Statistics ............................................................................................. 13 Response to Term of Reference (c) ................................................................................ 14 Response to Term of Reference (d) ................................................................................ 15 Response to Term of Reference (e) ................................................................................ 16 Response to Term of Reference (f)................................................................................. 18 Response to Term of Reference (g) ................................................................................ 19 Page 2 of 20 Parliament of Victoria - Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee Submission from Neighbourhood Watch Victoria Incorporated Terms of Reference A The breadth of locally based groups and organisations addressing community safety and crime prevention issues within Victoria, particularly with regard to local government and Neighbourhood Watch; B Approaches adopted by these groups to promulgate community safety and crime prevention practices, programs or initiatives; C The extent to which these organisations are effective in engaging with local or state agencies in the development of policy; D Whether institutional or other arrangements support or impede such local groups in engaging in the development of community safety initiatives; E Whether there is a cost benefit to the community for current crime prevention strategies; F Whether alternate models for such organisations may improve outcomes; G Localcommunity safety and crime prevention arrangements in other jurisdictions. Page 3 of 20 Parliament of Victoria - Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee Submission from Neighbourhood Watch Victoria Incorporated Response toTerm of Reference (a) The breadth of locally based groups and organisations addressing community safety and crime prevention issues within Victoria, particularly with regard to local government and Neighbourhood Watch; Refer to Submission of Bill Horman APM OAM Response toTerm of Reference (b) Approaches adopted by these groups to promulgate community safety and crime prevention practices, programs or initiatives; Approaches adopted by these groups to promulgate community safety and crime prevention practices, programs or initiatives; Neighbourhood Watch Structure of Neighbourhood Watch Victoria Incorporated (NHW) Neighbourhood Watch Victoria is an Incorporated Association – Registered Number A0018739R The following NHW Organisations within NHW are also incorporated – Moorabbin o Carisbrook o Region 5 Division 3 – Latrobe, Baw Glen Eira o o Baw, Bass Coast o Inglewood o Region 4 Division 2 – Whitehorse, o Kangaroo Flat Monash, Boroondara Bairnsdale PSA – ED6 o o Spring Gully Bendigo 15 The Board of Management is currently reviewing reasons why these separate groups became incorporated. It may be that the Board, under the current Constitution, has limited or no jurisdiction over these separately incorporated groups. Page 4 of 20 Parliament of Victoria - Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee Submission from Neighbourhood Watch Victoria Incorporated Board of Management President Mr. Andrew Brideson Vice President Ms. Allison Summers Secretary Mr. Brian Samuel Treasurer Mr. John Lagzdins Program Representative Ms. Rhonda Rotherham Chief Commissioners Representatives Superintendent A .de Ridder Detective Inspector M.King Immediate Past State President Mr. Bill Horman AM APM NHW’s structure is similar to that of Victoria Police There are four Regions in Victoria – o Eastern with six Divisions and 17 Police Service Areas (PSA’s) o North West Metropolitan with five Divisions and 14 PSA’s o Southern Metropolitan with four Divisions and 11 PSA’s o Western with six Divisions and 13 PSA The boundaries of PSA’s are identical to local government areas and there are 54 PSA’s which cover 79 Local Government Areas. This structural change was implemented in July 2010 by the Board of Management in consultation with Victoria Police as Victoria Police, following the Bushfire Commission, changed from five (5) to four (4) Regions. A workshop was also held in late 2009 for Volunteer Office bearers as part of the implementation process. Not all Neighbourhood Watch areas are organised along the PSA model. For example, Bendigo uses a Divisional structure, whilst many country PSA’s have successfully implemented a ‘town-based‘ model. This is particularly the case outside the Melbourne metropolitan area where distance between towns, the cost of fuel and the ageing membership base does not lend itself to a single PSA Committee. The Board takes a flexible position and is highly supportive of such models that are proving to be effective for their specific areas. Good examples of these can be found throughout the Latrobe Valley and East Gippsland. It needs to be noted that this new PSA structure has not been well received. Page 5 of 20 Parliament of Victoria - Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee Submission from Neighbourhood Watch Victoria Incorporated Many NHW groups stated in their Annual Reports that this model has meant the abandonment of the neighborhood concept. Resistance has come from many volunteers who fail to understand the reasons for change and some Police Coordinators. However it is the Board’s view that this restructure will eventually lead to a renewal of the NHW program as it has successfully been implemented in many areas such as Geelong and Ballarat as well as in the Eastern metropolitan area of Melbourne. Victoria Police Support Twenty-fiveNeighbourhood Watch Police Coordinators are employed which includes one vacancy and there are several retirements expected in the near future. Some are employed on a part-time basis whilst four others share their time as Crime Prevention Officers. If an Officer is on leave (for whatever reason) a replacement is not available. Some of these Coordinators are often called to perform other duties and are unavailable for NHW duties. In addition, there are thirty-eight Crime Prevention Officer positions including three Transit Officers. There are currently five vacancies. There is no direct line of accountability for the Police Coordinators or Crime Prevention Officers which creates a number of management, administrative and accountability difficulties. In monetary terms this support would be valued in excess of $1,750,000 for wages - a significant sum of money. Safer Communities Unit This unit is based at the Flinders Street Police Complex and is about to be disbanded due to an internal restructure. This unit replaced the former Community Consultation Division. The Safer Communities Unit (SCU) was the engine room for NHW. It provided the State Manager (Senior Sergeant initially exclusive to Neighbourhood Watch but later also responsible for Crime Prevention), the Executive Director (Inspector in charge of the Division) and managed the affairs of NHW at a statewide level including the production of the quarterly magazine Sentinel. The State Manager and Executive Director attended all meetings of the Board of Management and State Forum, but did not hold voting powers. Since mid-2010 there has not been an Executive Director. Page 6 of 20 Parliament of Victoria - Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee Submission from Neighbourhood Watch Victoria Incorporated As well as the State Manager and Executive Director, SCU also had four sworn officers (Sergeants and Senior Constables) who have in the last week had their positions declared redundant and two public servants will replace them. These positions will come under the control of the Media and Corporate