Bunbury council endorses community safety and crime prevention plan

The City of Bunbury has endorsed a new Community Safety and Crime Prevention plan following independent research and community input to help keep the city safe. Both the 2021 and 2023 MARKYT community scorecards identified community safety and crime prevention as one of the highest priorities for improvement for Bunbury residents and ratepayers. The plan includes eight areas of interest such as a plan to better share information about crime and crime prevention initiatives, implementing crime prevention strategies such as improving public lighting and CCTV at key locations and enhancing community-led events in public spaces. While responses to actual crime will still be handled by the police, the council believes these steps can help minimise the amount of crime seen in the city and make law enforcement easier. The plan was developed through community and stakeholder consultation including an independent research study led by Edith Cowan University to help understand “the nature of crime and community concerns”. Bunbury Mayor Jaysen Miguel said the plan was a step forward in making Bunbury a safer place for all. “We know that community safety and crime prevention is a high priority, so I hope our community can take some confidence away that the City and council are committed to addressing these concerns,” he said. “Thank you to everyone who has already contributed to the creation and development of this plan, in particular the City’s Community Safety Advisory Group which collaborated with the research team. “I encourage our community to have a read of the plan and to stay involved as we continue to make Bunbury brighter and safer for generations to come.”