In October the Bellerive CIB reported they had charged three men in their 20s with multiple offences in Midway Point over the course of a weekend. Their crimes included burglary, stealing and motor vehicle stealing. The significant feature of these thefts was that the majority of vehicles had been left unlocked. Property stolen included loose change, mobile phones, GPS devices, Ipods, wallets and laptops.
National research has confirmed that for every 10 vehicles stolen in Australia, seven of them have been stolen with the keys! National research has also identified that an active Neighbourhood Area can reduce crime by up to 26%.
To further relate these theft experiences to Tasmania, our most recent research took a sample of a large town in southern Tasmania and examined the crime reports from January to July 2022. Several key trends were identified; the prevalence of property not being locked or secured; building sites being regularly targeted; and power tools/building materials being commonly stolen items. Approximately 17per cent of all incidents reported involved unlocked or unsecured property. Three vehicles were stolen with the keys in the ignition!!
If you are interested in a bit more detail, here are some more of the examples:
We are fortunate to share our Neighbourhood Watch Week nationally with Bunnings Crime Prevention Week from 7 to 13 November 2022. We call it The Week. Bunnings are keen to provide good crime prevention information to their customers – particularly their tradies. The reality is that building sites and vehicles are common targets for thieves. People living and working in the vicinity of building sites are at a higher risk of being a victim of crime if their property is not secured every time.
The other message about The Week is that Neighbourhood Watch enjoys the support of Bunnings, and we will be present in a number of their warehouses across the state with crime prevention information, calendars, raffles of home security products and of course a famous Bunnings Sausage Sizzle at Bunnings Mornington on Sunday, 13 November 22. If you are visiting Bunnings at Glenorchy, Mornington, Kings Meadows or North Launceston during The Week look out for your NHW volunteers and take the time to say hello, buy a raffle ticket or grab a snag!
Neighbourhood Watch has two primary roles, the first is to help minimise preventable crime. The second is to promote good community relations, and we do that by hosting events throughout the year where our community members can have a range of social and learning experiences. The one event where we can all come together to celebrate our achievements and share experiences is our AGM and Awards Ceremony.
The Country Club in Launceston is a great venue for this event, access is easy and there is free parking and a great morning tea. We want this to be the highlight of the NHW year, but it needs your support to be an ongoing success. If you didn’t accept in time, we have catered for extra people so if you can come we will still welcome your acceptance – just send an email to admin@nhwtas.org.au.
Congratulations to the following Neighbourhood Watch groups that were recognised with Clarence Plains One Community Together awards at an event on 1 November 2022. Oakdowns, Rokeby and Howrah Gardens/Glebe Hill were all recognised for their contribution to this greater community. These three groups have been working with Shoreline Howrah as a cluster and benefitting from the encouragement, support and initiatives that they each bring to their neighbourhoods. Well done to their Coordinators and volunteers who are contributing to the safety and wellbeing of their area. Check out our Facebook Page to see the photos from the event.
27 – 28 November Black Friday weekend at Bunnings
7 December CWAC at Glebe Hill Bakery
Join NHWT online at https://nhwtas.org.au/join/ it’s free!
“Celebrate what you want to see more of” – Tom Peters
Yours in Neighbourhood Watch
Peter Edwards, President
Good Neighbours Create Safer Communities
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