Sunshine Coast Safety Awareness
Donation protected
When I first moved to the quite suburb of Caloundra West, down Bellvista Boulevard, one of my first actions was to find the local running and walking trails. Fortunately, Bellvista Park has community signs with recommended trails for locals to enjoy, even the streets are marked to ensure you remain on track. After work in the evening due to restlessness, walking and running have always been great ways to maintain personal health and fitness.
My housemate is frequently visited by a friend who knows local Police Officers and regularly mentions the importance of ensuring doors are locked at night, due to the increase in home burglaries in the area.
This past week and like every other week, I went out to enjoy an evening walk. Little did I know, this walk would shift my perception of Caloundra West dramatically. A Patrol Vehicle stopped to my side, with the Police Officer advising that the area was currently unsafe and recommended me to reach home quickly, due to the Police currently searching for a suspected individual driving a vehicle.
What does it mean when an Officer is openly warning that the Police are trying to find a suspect in your local suburb? A natural assumption is that burglary is in fact increasing in the area, or even worse. If walking in the evening is meant to be advised against, then the cause of this threat should be dealt with immediately through open community discussion. To lose the liberty of walking freely without fearing any harm, is a horrible concept and one that is unacceptable, as remaining cooped up indoors is not a sufficient safety measure.
Caloundra West is neighbor to the new Bells Reach suburban development and it is vital that the local council should be focusing on community safety. The Sunshine Coast Local Council on their website list ‘Safety Programs’; where it becomes apparent that the focus of the council is on tourist locations, as opposed to suburban areas. They reference ‘Safe Committees’; however, no links, forums, contacts and the last article to be found is dated July 2011. After reading the recently released ‘Community Safety Action Plan 2016-2020’ by the Sunshine Coast council, once again you can read references to ‘Safety Groups’ and yet no real plan of action.
In an effort to restore Community faith in the safety of Caloundra West, with this project, the raised funds have two purposes. Organise an event at the local Bellvista Community Centre, where the Sunshine Coast Council and Community Stakeholders are able to collaborate and work towards solving local safety concerns. Secondly, to present the White Ribbon Australia foundation with a donation to assist in their continued fight towards ending Domestic Violence against Women.
My housemate is frequently visited by a friend who knows local Police Officers and regularly mentions the importance of ensuring doors are locked at night, due to the increase in home burglaries in the area.
This past week and like every other week, I went out to enjoy an evening walk. Little did I know, this walk would shift my perception of Caloundra West dramatically. A Patrol Vehicle stopped to my side, with the Police Officer advising that the area was currently unsafe and recommended me to reach home quickly, due to the Police currently searching for a suspected individual driving a vehicle.
What does it mean when an Officer is openly warning that the Police are trying to find a suspect in your local suburb? A natural assumption is that burglary is in fact increasing in the area, or even worse. If walking in the evening is meant to be advised against, then the cause of this threat should be dealt with immediately through open community discussion. To lose the liberty of walking freely without fearing any harm, is a horrible concept and one that is unacceptable, as remaining cooped up indoors is not a sufficient safety measure.
Caloundra West is neighbor to the new Bells Reach suburban development and it is vital that the local council should be focusing on community safety. The Sunshine Coast Local Council on their website list ‘Safety Programs’; where it becomes apparent that the focus of the council is on tourist locations, as opposed to suburban areas. They reference ‘Safe Committees’; however, no links, forums, contacts and the last article to be found is dated July 2011. After reading the recently released ‘Community Safety Action Plan 2016-2020’ by the Sunshine Coast council, once again you can read references to ‘Safety Groups’ and yet no real plan of action.
In an effort to restore Community faith in the safety of Caloundra West, with this project, the raised funds have two purposes. Organise an event at the local Bellvista Community Centre, where the Sunshine Coast Council and Community Stakeholders are able to collaborate and work towards solving local safety concerns. Secondly, to present the White Ribbon Australia foundation with a donation to assist in their continued fight towards ending Domestic Violence against Women.
Organizer
Brad Kearns
Organizer
Shelly Beach, QLD